Rubbing banana peel on leaves to treat k deficiency

Discussion in 'Growing Organic Marijuana' started by Jesus No Name, Jun 1, 2012.

  1. Don't know where to post this so I figured organic was the best way to go. The title says it all.

    My grandmother used to rub banana peels on The leaves of her house plants to make them shiny. I'm sure potassium is absorbed in that process, what are the thoughts of my fellow blades?!
     
  2. Lol plausible but highly unlikely.
    First off if there is any potassium being released from those banana peels it'll be in very small amounts (if its being released at all if that particular banana was relatively high in potassium).

    Secondly it needs to be "processed" in a soluble / plant available form, for the plant to actually be able to uptake the nutrient.

    So there is a possibility / plausibility but i'd say unlikely.

    Another good one i heard was pounding a rusty nail in the bark of a tree to induce flowering like a magical spell caster or something lol.

    If your looking for a great way to add K and make your leaves shiny. Use Dyna-grow's Pro-teK silicon supplement and add neem. You'll be amazed with your results!
     

  3. Potassium would be found in the fruit and not the skins.

    And while you're looking around, just FYI - Banana Oil is neither

    CQ
     
  4. Really? Banana oil has neither? What a load of false advertisement lol

    This thread just gets me thinking of all of those old wives tales and myths and stuff. Like using molasses to make your buds more sweet and swollen. ( i actually believed that when i knew no better) or this one, "Make sure you flush good when you use bat guano, or going make your buds taste like bat shit" lmao. I swear i can go on and on. I swear, where do people come up with this stuff?
     
  5. #5 ComfreyQuery, Jun 1, 2012
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2012
    Banana Oil - Isoamyl acetate, an ester formed from isoamyl alcohol and acetic acid.

    Acetic acid is a herbicide though it only affects the stalks and leaves - this is the acid found in vinegar. Horticultural vinegar contains 22%+ acetic acid. Extremely effective and this herbicide does not accumulate - completely safe.

    CQ
     
  6. Sean

    Ya got any Taro plants around where you live?
     
  7. [quote name='"ComfreyQuery"']Sean

    Ya got any Taro plants around where you live?[/quote]

    Not wild, most taro grow in wet land "loi" (lo-e). They require lots of fresh flowing water. I live on the dry side of the island, so finding that plant growing naturally and wild in my area is highly unlikely. But i know a few different farmers who have a few different types of taro growing in their aquaponic systems.

    Why do you ask? Im always interested in your thoughts of my environmental plants.

    Also when are you ganna make more updates on your botanical tea website? I swear, those updates are more highly anticipated than the next monthly acres mag.
     
  8. Taro - Hawaiian Comfrey

    Not in the tuber but in the leaves......
     
  9. I can totally see the point that you're making. The problem is, finding some one that'll willingly give up their taro leaves for trash. That plant is 100% useable and no part goes to waste, ever! Some people hold the leaves in higher regard than the root its self. Honestly tho, it would be much easier for me to attain than getting comfrey.

    So i'll keep an eye/ear out for the taro leaves. Thanks again for the heads up! I greatly appreciate it!

    Any news on the coconut water ideas?
     
  10. #10 ComfreyQuery, Jun 1, 2012
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2012
    I'll get back to you in a few minutes on the Coconut water but let me finish on the Taro leaves.

    You're right - not too much in the way of actual elements in the taro roots - the nutritional value is in the leaves which is generally true in a majority of plants. Ginger is a huge exception to that one. Ginger is probably one of the most nutrient-dense plant materials cultivated.

    But let's say that you could get about 15 gallons of shredded taro leaves and if you took about 5 gallons of shredded green papaya, a couple of gallons of smashed bamboo shoots, toss in about 3 gallons of green mangoes - mix and cover with water. In about 3 weeks you'll have a fermented fertilizer mix and the remaining plant material can then be added to a compost pile or a worm bin. Add to a worm bin in small(er) amounts.

    There you go - self-sufficient to the max

    CQ
     
  11. I also love your scale of materials also lol.
    15 gallons of this, 5 gallons of that. and you'll end up with about 30 gallons of fermented fertilizer that i dont think ill be able to use up in my lifetime lol.

    Where do you come up with all of this? Do you stumble across the information of plants in my local area? Or are you actually taking the time to look up things in my general area? Have you known all of this for quite some time? Its all fascinating how you are more knowledgeable on various different indigenous plants than the indigenous people that live there lol.

    Also, I have a little "note book" on various quotes that i find useful in GC. That recipe is going in there. Mahalo!
     
  12. #12 ComfreyQuery, Jun 1, 2012
    Last edited: Jun 1, 2012
    Sean

    The Chemical Composition and Biological Properties of Coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) Water

    Dr. W.H. Yong
    Dr. Liya Ge
    Yan Fei Ng
    Swee Ngin Tan

    Natural Sciences and Science Education Academic Group
    Nanyang Technological University
    Singapore

    Root Development at every stage of growth is the most direct benefit.

    Cheap enough......

    CQ
     
  13. Im more excited about the the growth regulatory properties. Something is telling me to try a side by side of a particular strain. One plant using a foliar application of CW and the other with no foliar applications at all.

    Have you had any chance to try it and see the results?
     

  14. Sean

    Once you break down a plant that is considered one of the players around the world - Alfalfa, Kelp, Comfrey, Borage, et al. and you only need to really investigate a single one. From that you'll begin to find that there is a universal set of hydrocarbon chains (Secondary Metabolites) that are found in these plants overall. Obviously there are differences in specific compounds from one plant to another so it's not necessarily which one but rather how many can a gardener get without going broke - diversity is the goal.

    So back to where I did most of my work: one of the first horticulture schools in the US (established in 1881) and definitely was the first on the West Coast at Oregon State University. In the world of academia one tenet that you can count on being followed are impeccable records on studies, lectures, papers, etc. That's why they're there - to generate paperwork. Some better than others obviously.

    Those archives are not open to the general public though the general public can take a 2 hour class and you're good to go. Basically the class is to teach you the proper way to open an old book, how to turn the pages and finally close the book. Sounds like a stupid requirement but it isn't. For the first 50 years it was a general practice to make only 1 copy - handwritten most often.

    So when I was bleeding the largess of publicly-funded higher education, I would spend literally hours and hours buried in materials trying to learn the different plants that had been tested in the new industry called horticulture. What I look for are the success because it's in these detailed records that you learn what type of processes they tried and where they succeeded and failed. Mostly failed but that's because the overwhelming majority of advances in the study of plants (Botany vs. Biology) has been in that past 60 years and even much of that is in the past 20 years.

    Dr. T.L. Senn's work at Clemson University had a big impact at the school in Corvallis, Oregon. Seaweed (Kelp) was certainly easy to source (the ol' Pacific Ocean deal) and it was very inexpensive so this horticulture school began to study Kelp in earnest in the 1950's and continued until 1980. With the new research now available, and in spite of lowered research money, OSU will begin a wide ranging study of Kelp in agriculture and horticulture.

    Then I found the archives that were donated by the Luther Burbank Foundation (or whatever it's called). Burbank's record-keeping was extraordinary. His work on using plants to feed other plants was amazing considering the period he lived and worked.

    Then there's the Chinese agriculture archives at Portland State University at the School of International Studies. These are supposed to be limited to registered students but that is easily worked around.

    CQ
     

  15. 4 rooted cuttings in the same soil mix, same strain, blah, blah, blah

    2 watered with Aloe Vera juice and 2 with canned Coconut water (Costco) diluted of course.

    Can't see anything of note so at the very least one could consider Coconut water as an alternative to Aloe Vera. Same deal though - using both would probably be the best fork in the road.

    Just an opinion....

    CQ
     
  16. Here's a link to the entire study - check out the number of Cytokinins - 18. Gibberillins - 2 and IAA (rooting compound), Abscisic acid and Salicylic acid (another rooting compound)
     
  17. I think your life story would make a very interesting movie on the history channel. Always something so exciting (in my opinion anyway...)

    As for the AV / CW experiment. Seeing the results you've been having, Ill just stick to the AV. Because I have great resources of that. I have a rather large garden of AV with individual blades that can be blended to yield about 12oz per. And I've been having some fantastic results with what AV ive been using lately.

    I'm currently running spiked water (silicon, seaweed, AV) In a SIP pot on a strain that I've grown in the past. And this time its about 3-4x the size of the first time i grew it! I am just amazed in the effectiveness of these seemingly simple ingredients. :hello:
     
  18. Yeah - I don't have a good source for live Aloe Vera (weather doesn't permit) so I use either the freeze-dried powder and I keep a gallon of an organic liquid version I lucked onto. It uses Ascorbic acid and Citric acid as the preservative. Good stuff.

    EDIT: The Mexican food markets have Aloe Vera leaves with a UPC sticker and everything! LOL

    Still - Coconut water can be an option for some perhaps. The local Asian food markets always have the white young coconuts. Somewhere in my reading, I seem to remember a cite about the younger coconuts having more of the 'good stuff' than mature seeds. Just like with papaya - green papaya for fermenting and mature for eating! LOL

    CQ
     
  19. Thank you!
    You've cited this study before. And i saved it a while back. Though i havent had the time to read through it yet :eek:.

    Tho, i can assure you it is on my long list of "to read" items.
    But i have completed the seaweed and plant growth book. Which was extremely informative and useful. I think ive become obsessed with seaweed since. And base just about everything around, brown foraged seaweeds from my back yard. Its in my compost, worm bin, BSP Ferment, shoot i even foraged a whole 5 gallon bucket, washed it all down. Then filled the bucket with water and used the tea as a foliar and soil drench for my veging plants. I think i preach about seaweed more than a pastor about Jesus. :p
     
  20. What you're explaining always reminds me of bananas. How green bananas always have more starch and phytonutrients. But as the banana ripens, the starches break down and become simple sugars and taste sweeter. Although they may taste better they lack the amount of or complexity of phytonutrients.

    Same with THC-a to THC, CBD-a to CBD. So as you explain it, i can almost visually see what you're getting at. does that make any sense at all?
     

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