“Insects only feed upon food that is considered unfit, nutritionally poor, dead, or dying. No Exceptions.” – Dr. Tom Dykstra
“Insects are not competing with us. Their job is to eat [garbage].” – Dr. Tom Dykstra
When farmers and gardeners learn that by testing a plant’s Brix level they can see how healthy the plant is, the next question is, “Now, how do I raise the Brix?” I will offer some suggestions I learned from Dr. Tom Dykstra.
Review
First, a quick review of plant Brix, then we’ll see how we can raise it.
Plants produce sugar through a process call photosynthesis. The healthier a plant is, the more it photosynthesizes and the more sugar it produces. A healthy plant will be making much more sugar than an unhealthy plant.
Very simply, using a refractometer to test the plant sap/juice will give a reading called the Brix which measures how high the sugars are in the plant. A high Brix is an indication of the plant’s nutrient density.
A plant with a Brix reading of:
1-2 is very unhealthy. Force feeding will be necessary. These plants do not do well. They do not survive on their own. Golf course greens are often in this range.
3-7 has a fighting chance, but it is not doing great. Most agricultural fields are in this range. At a Brix of 6, a plant’s production of Plant Secondary Metabolites (PSM) increases. PSMs improve flavor, color, aroma, and insect repellency.
8-12 now has a “Sword & Shield.” This plant is able to defend itself against insects. It is tougher. It looks better; it ‘looks’ perfect. Soil water retention abilities increase drastically.
Why does soil water retention increase when plants have a higher Brix?
First, much of the sugar a plant produces goes out through its roots to feed soil microbes. Now that this plant is healthy and producing a lot of sugar, there is much more sugar going down into the soil. Sugar itself is made of a lot of carbon which loves to grab on to moisture. Now this carbon is in the soil. This is ‘carbon sequestration.’
Second, all those living, breathing microbes are also drinking a bit of water and holding it in their little bodies.
Third, the plants themselves hold more water.
At a Brix of 12, plants have great insect protection. This protection increases more as Brix goes higher. Now you have real, good quality food that helps you live long.
How do you test plant Brix? Read our post How and Why to Use a Refractometer.
How to Raise Brix
To raise Brix we need to let go of those things that are dragging it down and implement those things that will bring it up. Here are a number of factors to improve upon.
Seed
Choose good seed with good (non-GMO) genetics. It will have the necessary nutrients and minerals to give the plant a good start. This seed must come from healthy plants.
How do I know if my seed is good? Seed emergence from the soil should be 95-99%. If you plant 50 tomato seeds, at least 48 should come up.
Soil
Grow in good soil that is well-mineralized to feed your plants. It should also be well flocculated. It will be loose but not dusty. It will have abundant air and hold moisture well. Work at improving your soil.
Microorganisms
Plants need an abundance and diverse variety of soil microorganisms to feed them. Plants do not suck minerals from the soil. Microbes bring minerals to and into a plant. Learn more from our post on Biology here.
So let’s help our soil microbes and not hurt them. To help them we can feed them. We can feed them some sugar. This is easy to do. Just dissolve a half cup of sugar in your watering can when watering your plants.
Another way to help microbes is to keep plants growing in your soil because plants supply sugar to microbes. This means having NO bare soil. You can do this with a ‘cover crop’ which is just what it sounds like. It’s a crop that covers your ground. Did you harvest your cabbages? Pick all the peas? Sprinkle some wheat on the soil and rake it in. The little sprouts that come up will continue to feed your microbes for the rest of the season.
Let’s also stop hurting our microbes. Every herbicide, fungicide, insecticide and seed treatment kills microbes. Not every product kills every microbe. Different products affect different microbes so to switch products with different “modes of action” kills a wider diversity of microbes.
If you’re diversifying your kill-i-cide products, you’re doing a good job killing your microbes. With less microbes in the soil, fungus begins to dominate so you use more fungicides. Now you have sick, poor soil which leads to more weeds and more herbicide application and more microbe killing. It’s a death spiral. Don’t use Chemicals. Feed and nurture your microbes.
Summary
To raise the Brix level of your plants:
- Use good seed
2. Grow in good soil
3. Nurture your microbes
There are more ways to raise your Brix. I will share them soon!
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