Home  FAQ's 6. What is plant sap analysis?
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6. What is plant sap analysis? |
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Saturday, 09 December 2006 |
Plant sap analysis is a very valuable form of testing a plants health. It is mostly concerned with measuring the mobile nutrients in the plant system or the free ions, and as a result is more sensitive and able to detect minor or temporary deficiencies than traditional leaf tissue analysis.
The benefits of a plant sap analysis are:
· It allows for better diagnosis and better decisions for correcting nutrient imbalances or deficiencies.
· It allows us to monitor and make better selections of fertilizers and other products that will allow the plant to more efficiently utilize soil nutrients.
· It can help determine the effect environmental factors on nutrient levels.
· Reduce effects of adverse weather on fruit by detecting temporary deficiencies.
· Detect deficiencies before crop loss occurs.
· Ensure nutrients levels are optimal for maximum growth and quality.
· Plant sap testing is also extremely quick, and a sap sample can be manually extracted in minutes and tested
The sap represents the liquid that is between and within the cell walls. This liquid contains free ions in water as well as complex compounds such as sugars, proteins and enzymes. The standard university tissue test is completely different in that the leaves are partially dried then sent to a laboratory for further drying to obtain a dry weight sample. The plant matter must then be crushed to a powder and dissolved in acid solvent and analyzed by an expensive automated instrument that gives a dry weight measurement (dwm percentage) or trace element part per million (ppm). Not only is this very expensive, but typically the results do not indicate the percentage to which matter was dried and therefore the test can not be standardized nor a formula cannot be used to work out pre-drying results.
The three best methods known for determining if a plant is healthy is the Brix, pH and Electric Conductivity. We can use plant sap analysis to analyze these three methods.
Brix
The Brix level shows the total dissolved solids in the plant. The higher the dissolved solids the higher the mineral and the healthier the plant. If the Brix level is low then the Ions have not “complexed” into sugars or proteins. The ideal Brix level is above 12.
pH
This will indicate the acidic level of the plant. A balanced level of nutrients in the leaf of the plant will show an ideal pH level of 6.2-6.4.
A lower than ideal pH level will indicate a deficiency in the following minerals: Calcium, Potassium, Sodium or Magnesium.
A higher than ideal pH level will indicate a deficiency in the following minerals that act in the opposite direction: Phosphates, Nitrate Nitrogen, Sulfates and trace minerals.
Electric Conductivity
This can quickly determine the total concentration of Simple ions. A high plant energy field protects against invasive forces such as insects and plant pathogens.
We can also use plant sap analysis to test important mineral content:
Nitrate ion NO3 concentrations:
NO3 concentrations must be at optimum levels during growth season and drop off later in the season.
Potassium K+ concentrations:
You must have a consistent level, neither too high nor too low to ensure fruit forms properly.
Calcium serum Ca++ concentrations:
Calcium must be maximized to obtain maximum Brix levels. Calcium ions can be measured with plant sap in laboratory conditions however it is more difficult than other nutrients.
We sell a range of products to aid in plant sap testing. We will also be publishing a new guide showing the method of plant sap testing very soon to help people not only to carry out the tests, but aid them in interpreting the results.
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