pysched about brix

Following on our discussion at the Berkshire Meeting this past week on Brix levels ... I was reading this article and apparently the Brix scale when testing plant sap in leaves is the same as the fruit. This link http://www.ag-usa.net/brix_test_meaning.htm is very interesting especially when explaining about phosphate levels and the way the line of the refractometer shows ... be it sharp or hazy.

Thank everyone again for making me part of something so special and important for us and future generations.

Best,
Fabio

Westwind Orchard
Zone 5b in New York



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/10/2013 10:45PM by Michael Phillips.

I too am pysched about doing more with Brix, Fabio, as a means of gauging the value of nutrient sprays and other holistic approaches. That we as growers can steward optimal protein synthesis and photosynthesis efficiency and biological diversity -- and thus high brix -- intrigues me to no end. Here is a means of measuring health as a basis for orchard comparison trials.

It’s the subjective that matters here, ultimately. This article by Jon Frank of International Ag Labs captures the factors at play regarding foliar sprays and mineralized soils: http://foliarsprays.com/en/mineralized-soil.html . We each will do what we do, and then see how disease and pests score, and ultimately taste some mighty fabulous fruit. Somehow in all this complexity we need to see how the brix tagline applies in gauging multiple considerations. It would sure be helpful to hear from other growers with fruit experience in the brix arena as we plan specific research projects within network circles.

Lost Nation Orchard
Zone 4b in New Hampshire

I've updated the Orchard Brix Protocol yet again to account for the skewing of the numbers several of us encountered in the 2013 season. Long story short: gather leaves given a sunny morning, don't oversqueeze to draw out the sap, test the 4th or 5th leaf back from the terminal on actively growing shoots.

Brix readings for the most part are a measure of the energy-rich carbohydrate (sugars) in plant sap as a result of engaged photosynthesis. Dissolved minerals have the next greatest influence on these readings, with vitamins, amino acids, proteins, and hormones following from there. This provides growers-as-researchers with "a look" at how management choices regarding fertility ratios and fungal duff support stack up regionally, along with insight into both the effectiveness and the long-lastingness of holistic (nutrient) spray choices.

I'm just getting into gear here, with a 14.5 reading yesterday on MacIntosh. This is eight days out from the first cover spray, on a tree showing the slightest signs of leaf scab which trace back to a May 30 wetting event. The vibrancy of the leaves along with this brix reading suggest this is one healthy tree. And it took just one squeeze to get that sap!

Lost Nation Orchard
Zone 4b in New Hampshire