Cross diggin your thread and up front info. Hope you get those mites in check soon. Look forward to seeing some updates after the chop.
You mentioned that you used kelp as and
liquid karma to keep the node spacing tight, how do they do that? Thanks... Socachi
Ascophyllum nodosum is the type of kelp.
It contains auxins and cytokinins, among other goodies.
Ripped from Wiki:
Mode of Action
The ratio of auxin to cytokinin plays an important role in the effect of cytokinin on plant growth. Parenchyma tissue cultured with auxin and without cytokinin have cells that grow large but do not divide. When cytokinin is added along with auxin, the cells both expand and differentiate. However, when the plant cells are cultured with only cytokinin, there is no effect. When cytokinin and auxin are present in equal levels, the parenchyma cells form a callus, or undifferentiated mass of cells. An increase in cytokinin will lead to the growth of shoot buds, while an increase in auxin induces root formation.[2]
Cytokinins are involved in many plant processes, including cell division and shoot and root morphogenesis. In particular, they are known to regulate axillary bud growth as well as affect apical dominance. These effects are a result of the cytokinin to auxin ratio, and termed the direct inhibition hypothesis. This theory states that the auxin, originating in the apical bud, travels down shoots to inhibit axillary bud growth. This promotes shoot growth, and restricts lateral branching. During this process, cytokinin moves from the roots and into the shoots, eventually signaling lateral bud growth. Simple experiments agree with this theory. When the apical bud—the major source of auxin—is removed, the axillary buds are liberated from inhibition. This allows the plant increased lateral growth, making the plant bushier. Applying auxin to the cleaved stem again inhibits lateral dominance.[2]
While cytokinin action in vascular plants is described as pleiotropic, this class of plant hormones specifically induces the transition from apical growth to growth via a three-faced apical cell in moss protonema. This bud induction can be pinpointed to differentiation of a specific single cell, and thus is a very specific effect of cytokinin. [6]
Cytokinins have also been known to slow the aging of plant organs. This process occurs by preventing protein breakdown, activating protein synthesis, and assembling nutrients from nearby tissues.[2] In a study that regulated leaf senescence in tobacco leaves, it was found that wild-type leaves showed yellowing of leaves, while the transgenic leaves remained mostly green. It was hypothesized that cytokinin may affect enzymes that regulate protein sythesis and degradation.[7]
Here is a good write up on application rates of
Bushmaster.