A headache is not the problem. It's a symptom of a problem. Taking pain relief medication only temporarily masks the problem. You still have the problem. A good doctor will search for the cause of the problem and treat that.
It's the same with growing a crop, says Chris Story – owner of Kendon an Australian supplier of crop protection and nutrition products for over 70 years.
“If you have pesky pests, you typically use herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. Sure, the pests die, but so do the good insects, microbes, and sometimes the nutrients in the soil are also impacted.
“Then you need to add more fertiliser to replace the damage caused by the pesticides. Then you need more pesticides to stop the new wave of pests. It is a costly process in both time and money. And with escalating fertiliser prices, it's a worry.”
According to entomologist Dr Thomas Dykstra, insects do not attack healthy plants. Insects only feed on plants that are unfit, nutritionally poor, dead, or dying.
So, pesky pests are the symptom of an unhealthy plant.
How can you determine if a plant is healthy?
Mr Story said the fastest way to determine plant health is to test the plant leaf sap with a Brix refractometer. This measures plant sugars or Brix levels.
1–2 Brix – plants are not long for this world.
3–7 Brix – plants have a fighting chance.
At 6 Brix – plants start to stand on their own two legs. If they had legs. The secondary metabolites increase in the plants. Molecules that give the fruit colour, flavour and smell ramp up.
8–12 Brix – plants start to defend themselves. Water retention is better, and water use reduces by up to 50%.
12–20+ Brix – plants are like elite athletes, objectively healthy with toned muscles and bright smiles. No pest, insects, or disease dare go near.
“These plants create a healthy ecosystem,” Mr Story said. “They reward you with a rich harvest and a fruitful life.
“Naturally, you want to help your customers get high Brix.
“So, what's the most cost-effective way?
“Using foliar sprays will quickly increase Brix and reduce the amount of fertiliser needed. As a bonus, foliar sprays are more efficient than soil-applied fertilisers because the nutrients go straight into the leaf and are used immediately. As a result, there is no competition between the trace elements as there can be with soil-applied fertilisers.
“Chelated trace elements in the foliar sprays ensure no antagonism or competition with each other and go to work immediately within the leaf chemistry.
“So, if your customers have pesky pests, help them treat the cause by boosting their Brix.
“Kendon HIGH K is a high potash liquid fertiliser with chelated trace elements.
“HIGH K will boost Brix, make crops healthy and make bank managers smile.”
