Foliar Feeding, Yay or Nay?

[Somatek]

Looking at my anemic plants today showing various nutrient issues from irregular watering/feeding over the last couple weeks I’ve been debating giving them a foliar feeding to get them back on track sooner.  I rarely use foliar feedings as it feels like a crutch instead of learning to properly feed plants by managing nutrients in the root zone.  Although I recognize it’s a much quicker way to resolve nutrient imbalances…

What does everyone else think?  Do you regularly use foliar feedings?  What about compost teas instead?

[Brad104]

I say yay as long as they are veging,but I say nay while they are under Bud.Thats how I’ve done it and always had good results too

[Somatek]

Do you use foliar sprays regularly, if so what do you use?  Some of the best growers I’ve known used foliars regularly, I just realized my post may have sounded like I was trash talking the idea which is never my intent.  Every grower has they’re own way that works for them, I’m just curious what people do and why as that’s the best way keep to learning.

[Keith]

I’ve never looked into it.  I think I natural have an aversion to spraying things on my plants bc I cringe anytime I have to do it.  It’s always just been neem oil though.  I’ve been focusing on the soil I guess, since everything I’ve gotten has been for that.

[Somatek]

I personally prefer to focus on the soil as if you get that down you don’t need to use foliar sprays.  Although in this case I’m debating when I need to have them ready to flower and whether I should speed the recovery along with a foliar spray of mild nutes and kelp for those sweet, sweet auxins to get the shoots a growing.  Like I said, I prefer not to use it regularly as it seems like a crutch for lazy growing, not the kind of lazy I like where I let the plants/enviro do their thing though…

[Keith]

Maybe uninformed too.  I could see myself doing it bc a few people recommended it and I found a few web pages to support it.  Without knowing I could achieve the same results with proper soil management.

[Somatek]

That’s true for fertilizing plants but I just realised I completely glossed over using foliars for general health like using kelp for it’s auxin’s, compost teas or LAB’s for microbial protection.  I’ve been so fixated just thinking about foliar feeding I kinda glossed over a whole useful range of things they can do lol….

[Brad104]

I’ve always foliar spray calmag sometimes I foliar feed my veging gals super thrive and other nutrients not regularly just maybe1x  every 2 weeks is a lot with nutrients,but I try to foliar spray anything if my plants lacking it I hope I’m doing things right I’ve not killed them yet ha ha but I always foliar them mostly at lights out so not to burn my plants

[Somatek]

I know a lot of older growers swear by superthrive, I used it for awhile before cutting back to the basics.  It’s interesting to see B vitamin supplements in a lot of newer products though that suggest it is beneficial.

[Brad104]

I’ve really seen a difference when I have and have not used it bro

[Anonymous]

I have some in my FF nute line up, but I haven’t used it as I feel it will leave residue on the leaves. I think that would just drive me crazy 😁

[Somatek]

Usually you wash the leaves off a couple days later as you don’t want the residue blocking the stomata.  Same goes for after spraying pesticides usually, although some are best left on between spraying like sulfur or potassium bicarbonate to control PM

[Author]

Posts