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All this fantastic info copied from C-Ray @ UDG... not sure where he gt it... but :gthumb:
Thread Opened... Thanks to C-ray for sharing all this!
What Is Brix?
Common optical refractometer can be used to measure high brix in produce and juices.Brix is a term popularized by Carey Reams. When used on plant sap it is primarily a measure of the carbohydrate level in plant juices. The instrument used to obtain a brix reading is the refractometer. Refractometers come in two basic styles, optical and digital. Both types work great. Here is how a refractometer is used: squeeze out some sap from a plant, put 2 drops of the juice on the prism, close the prism cover, point to a light source, focus the eye piece, and read the measurement. The brix reading is indicated where the light and dark fields intersect.
What part of the plant is used for taking a brix reading? Whatever part you eat if it is ripe. If it is not ripe take the most recent mature leaves that have had full sunlight for at least 2 hours. Ideally measurements should be taken at the same time of day as you compare throughout the growing season.
A refractometer measures the amount of bend or refraction in the rays of light as they pass through the plant sap. This is why a brix chart is more properly called a Refractive Index of Crop Juices.
What causes light to refract as it passes through plant sap?
1. The amount of carbohydrates in the juice.
2. The amount of dissolved minerals in the plant sap.
3. The amount of covalent bonding.
What proof can be offered to show that higher brix readings equal higher quality?
High Brix Foods Have Greater Carbohydrate Levels
Carbohydrates are the fuel the body uses for basic metabolic function. This has tremendous implications on digestion and human health. This is covered more fully in Food Quality & Digestion.
High Brix Foods Have Greater Mineral Density
One of the health rules that Dr. Carey Reams taught was that:
"All disease is the result of a mineral deficiency."
This rule clearly shows why it is so important to eat foods with high mineral density. One of the most important nutrients that increases with high brix readings is calcium. According to Dr. Reams calcium levels in produce rise and fall proportionately with the brix levels. This has been independently confirmed by Bob Pike in his research on tissue testing. Disorders and degenerative diseases resulting from a calcium deficiency could fill several books.
In addition to increased calcium levels, high brix foods also supply more trace minerals such as copper, iron, and manganese. Trace minerals function as co-enzymes in the digestive process. Co-enzymes work with enzymes as activators of those enzymes. These trace minerals have higher atomic weights. Due to greater mineral density and the inclusion of heavier trace minerals high brix foods weigh more per unit than lower quality produce.
Digital refractometer makes measuring high brix in foods easy.Minerals in foods are in a naturally chelated form. Naturally chelated minerals are bound to amino acids that have a right-hand spin. Amino acids with a right-hand spin are referred to as L-Amino acids. L-Amino acids are biologically active. This translates into easy assimilation into the body compared to inorganic minerals taken in pill form. Amino acids that have been compounded by man have a left-hand spin, which is known as D-Amino acids, or they are a mixture of the L and D form of amino acids. The D form is not biologically active and is rarely found in nature. The L and D forms of amino acids are mirror images of each other. This is the reason why mineral supplements that have minerals bound to an amino acid and claimed to be chelated need to be checked which form the amino acids are in. When it comes to supplementing with vitamins and minerals it is BUYER BEWARE. The indiscriminate use of vitamins and minerals can create a dangerous situation whereas the correct use of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes can be very beneficial to the body. When consuming high quality fruits and vegetables the there is no need for the BUYER BEWARE warning.
High Brix Foods Taste Better
Quality foods that are high in calcium, enzymes and minerals provide good nutrition to the body.Why won’t little Johnny eat his peas? They taste terrible. Little Johnny instinctively knows that sweet tasting peas are better while poor-quality peas are instantly rejected. Have you ever eaten a 22 brix grape? Once you have you won’t forget the taste. A candy bar will be held in disdain by little Johnny compared to 22 brix grapes. Ask any old-timer if they like the taste of fruits and vegetables now compared to when they were young. I am sure you won’t be able to find a single person that feels today’s are better. Taste is built upon the upon the carbohydrate and mineral levels in the produce. When they decline so does the taste. What about aroma? That seems lost as well. Todays average 2-3 brix hydroponic greenhouse tomato looks like a tomato but it has virtually no aroma and is nearly tasteless. It is a poor caricature of what a tomato should be. As a culture Americans are so used to eating low quality produce we don’t even know what really good produce tastes like.
High Brix Plants Are Insect And Disease Resistant
Here we see the handiwork of our Creator. Plants in poor health emit an electo-magnetic frequency that insects tune in to. This in effect calls them in for a feast. Plants in good health emit a different frequency that insects do not tune in to. Nature has been designed to use insects to get rid of poor quality plants that are unfit for human consumption. In the same way a poorly balanced soil will produce plants susceptible to disease. Properly balanced soil will produce plants resistant to disease. William Albrecht put it this way:
“Insects and disease are the symptoms of a failing crop, not the cause of it. It’s not the overpowering invader we must fear but the weakened condition of the victim.”
Ouch!
Animals Instinctively Prefer High Brix Foods
Animals have a greater sense of instinct than does mankind. Their instinct for survival can be seen in the multitude of stories arising from the recent tsunami. Wild animals were not caught by surprise—they had fled for higher ground hours before the waves hit the shores. This same level of instinct carries over to their choice of foods. The foods of highest mineral density and health are preferred over poorer quality. Here is something to ponder over. Wild deer will not graze genetically modified corn stalks unless close to starving. This is why conservationists who are planting corn specifically for the deer population will avoid planting genetically modified corn. Production agriculture has found that it takes twice as many acres of genetically modified cornstalks to get the same amount of weight gain on cattle as compared to conventional non-GMO corn varieties.
Here is an easy experiment to prove this point. Buy whole field corn sold in the birdseed section of your local supermarket and some popcorn. Whole field corn will weigh somewhere around 55 lbs. per bushel while the popcorn will be around 66-68 lbs. per bushel. Offer both corn samples to some chickens that are not overly hungry and see which corn they eat first. They first go after the popcorn with great enthusiasm and then the field corn with less enthusiasm. Why? Popcorn has greater mineral density as indicated by test weight. Cattle have the same instinct. They will always prefer the forage with the higher sugar content. This has been proven many times by seeing which hay cattle eat first when offered a choice.
In conclusion Brix has become the gold standard to measure plant quality. Measuring the brix level on plants is quick, simple, and fairly inexpensive. Unfortunately some of the largest detractors of the Brix=Quality movement propagate a system of agriculture that produces low-brix plants. These plants need ‘crop protection’ in the form of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. These pesticides disrupt the delicate microbial balance in the soil and contribute to the continued production of low-brix foods. Another quote from that eminent soil scientist, William Albrecht, seems in order:
"The use of (pesticide) sprays is an act of desperation in a dying agriculture."
The good news is that more and more people are demanding higher-quality food and numerous farmers are getting off the pesticide/GMO/low-brix merry-go-round and beginning to produce food that can have a tremendous impact on improving our health and nutrition—and it all starts with our digestive system.
Click here to download the Brix Chart as a PDF.
Refractometers (A.K.A Brix Meter)
Refractometers are a simple optical instrument that measures the amount of light refracted in a liquid. Refractometers measure on a "Brix" scale and measuring the Brix level of fruits and vegetables is very important because it is a great indicator of flavor and quality.
The higher the brix level of your fruits juices is, the higher the dissolved solids in the foods juices such as sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones and all the other goodness that the plant puts into the food is. It is estimated that in a healthy fruit or vegetable, approximately 80% of the brix is represented by the natural sugars which give the food its great flavor and goodness. It is believed by many people to be the best indicator of quality available in one quick and simple test.
Refractometers are a standard piece of equipment for many Agronomists and is a standard tool used in the fruit and citrus industries. Juice factories and vineyards especially use refractometers so they can measure the level of flavors in the juices and blend them to consistent brix level every time. Many companies are also now offering big bonuses to farmers who can produce high brix fruits because it means they have to add less artificial sweetener to the juices which are devoid of any nutritional value (unlike natural sugars).
THE STAGES OF TESTING AS A GARDENER OR FARMER
IN THE FIELD
Start by testing your finished produce when it is ready for harvest. Recognize that HIGH QUALITY produce comes from HIGH QUALITY plants. Test the leaves of your plants that are not ready for harvest. If they continually test high as the days go by, the harvest will ultimately test high.
Start your testing earlier next season. You are no longer operating blindly. Adjust your fertilization to increase leaf brix. The QUALITY of your produce will be far higher. An excellent step-by-step program using pH & electrical conductivity to adjust leaf brix upwards has been developed by Bob Pike. This method removes much of the traditional guesswork that formerly dominated the "try this---try that" school of how to increase brix.
OBSERVE THAT INSECTS, VIRUS, BACTERIA, AND FUNGUS ONLY ATTACK LOW BRIX PLANTS
Chemical control of plant pests is a multi-billion dollar industry. Each year, the chemical companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars advertising their products purportedly to control insects, viruses, bacteria, and fungus. The chemical companies spend more millions conducting and sponsoring field tests that attempt to prove the special worth of their particular products.
However, their tests assume that all pests voraciously attack all green plants. That premise brings forth the following questions:
What kept the pests from multiplying, and then devouring, everything green millions of years ago? Why is the Earth not a bare rock now?
Understandably, the chemical companies shy away from these questions. Most are well aware that pest problems occur in fields fertilized with NPK.
The true answer is that pests are extremely selective in what they eat. Selectivity is well known. For instance, a cabbageworm dropped in a cornfield starves to death in the midst of plenty. Similarly, corn-smut fungus spores landing in a cabbage patch quietly die.
HIGH-QUALITY organic growers have, for generations, calmly stated that pests leave their produce alone. They are telling the truth. However, the truth of their observations is often clouded by the pests that LOW-QUALITY organic growers battle with garlic sprays and other concoctions.
Simply stated, unhealthy plants attract pests. Parallels are well known in nature. Predators are drawn to the weakest, most unhealthy, animals in a herd.
Another thought is that the syrupy nature of high brix plant juices is simply too difficult for sucking insects, such as aphids, to ingest. In all likelihood they depart in frustration to seek out the watery chemical grown produce of the neighbor’s field.
Finally, some students of BRIX=QUALITY theorize that alcohol plays a major part in plant/pest interaction. Apparently, insects, unlike warm-blooded creatures have no mechanism in their blood to prevent sugar from rapidly fermenting to alcohol. Therefore, they reason an insect feeding on a HIGH BRIX plant would suffer toxic effects from sugar fermentation in their blood. They reason, further, that predators easily catch toxic (or tipsy) insects¾ removing them from the gene pool.
Some alcohol theorists add yet another concept: namely that formed alcohol tends to dissolve the waxy seal exo-skeleton creatures employ to prevent fatal dehydration in hot fields.
Whatever---the reasoning goes on to suggest that insects feeding indiscriminately on HIGH BRIX plants fail to survive evolutionary pressures.
Although there is scant official research to validate any of these theories, there is wide agreement among non-toxic farmers the world around that healthy plants are immune to insect attack and disease.
OBSERVE THAT HIGH LEAF BRIX READINGS PROTECT AGAINST FROST
Pure water freezes at 32 degrees Farenheit. However, a 5 brix water-sugar mixture freezes at 26 degrees; a 10 brix mixture at 22 degrees; and a 15 brix mixture won’t freeze until it reaches 17 degrees. Plant frost damage (killing) occurs when ice crystals rupture plant cells. Many HIGH BRIX growers find their production season extended because the first few light frosts no longer harm their crop.
While a sugar-water mixture is not exactly the same as brix, consumers would be wise to recognize that the last local field-grown produce is almost assuredly the highest brix and therefore the highest quality. Such growers are worth seeking out.
Note: Some refractometer models are calibrated to directly show the temperatures needed to freeze certain liquids.
Price your output accordingly
Once you understand that your produce is sweeter and more nutritious than average, you should be prepared to show your customers why it is worth more.
DEHYDRATION
A drop of plant juice starts drying immediately. Wind and sun speed the drying. If you suspect that your test drop dried enough to affect your result, clean your refractometer and start over. It only takes a moment
Experts suggest that you re-check most tests when you first start using your own refractometer. The ability to duplicate your work by crosschecking is a powerful confidence builder.
Be alert for fading of the demarcation line in the viewing screen. Fading means the sample is drying on the prism. Do not confuse this with fuzziness (blurring---see below) f the demarcation line. You may want to gain experience at spotting fading with your refractometer. Place the smallest drop on the prism that will give a demarcation line. Then examine the screen for a minute or so. Fading should occur fairly soon as the moisture evaporates.
Dehydration is necessary when preparing certain foods. For instance, you must remove many gallons of water from maple sap to make a gallon of maple syrup. A refractometer user could determine in advance exactly how many gallons to evaporate by checking the brix of the fresh sap.
Some refractometer users also know raw sap with HIGH BRIX produces far better, tastier, and more abundant syrup.
Stored fruit & vegetables either rot or dehydrate. Rotting in storage is an unmistakable sign of poor quality. Dehydration is an absolute sign of HIGH QUALITY. The purveyors of low-quality fruits and vegetables seem willing to resist this fact until the end of time. Many consumers are terribly confused on this point because they have been conditioned to cut off rotting portions of a fruit or vegetable and eat the remainder.
Please understand that testing the juice from a dehydrated item of produce can be misleading. Your refractometer will indicate a higher than true brix. While seldom a problem when selecting foods, checking leave tissues in a field of heat-stressed plants can result in erroneous readings. You should avoid using a refractometer to check any plant with any possibility of lack of turgor¾ i.e., droopy leaves. Even when drought is not apparent, it is best to check leaves as early in the morning as possible.
ADVANCED USE (blurry line)
A less-than-sharp demarcation line (blurry/fuzzy/diffused) on the screen is an indication of varied atom distribution¾ i.e., an excellent mixture of minerals. For instance, many veteran refractometer users grow forages for animals and also have access to standard lab tests (so as to make possible direct comparisons of brix vis-à-vis other lab tests). They are adamant in insisting a sharp demarcation is an indication of increased simple sugar and therefore lesser high-quality protein (and other life-enhancing substances) at any given brix level.
Conversely, they suggest a blurry/fuzzy line predicts more, and better quality, proteins (*). Interestingly, the fuzzy line concept appears to be supported by the ability of astronomers to use refracted light to determine the elemental makeup of distant stars. Starlight, properly refracted, is spread out so that the lines left by various elements can be identified. It is suggested that you think of your readings as, say, 12S (sharp) or perhaps 14D (diffuse). In almost all cases, blurry tastes better.
You will quickly, and easily, learn to judge the mid-point of any blurring. Your correct reading lies there.
Blue intensity matters on those models that have a blue background field. When different items reveal the same brix but one has a less intense blue, it will taste sweeter and be higher in calcium, which neutralizes acids. However, the blue background can be overcast by the deep green chlorophyll color of some leafy plants. Do not be discouraged if your field of view appears to "greenout." Simply rotate your body away from the light source and watch for the demarcation as the light intensity diminishes.
Although your mouth readily tells the difference, the refractometer cannot easily distinguish starch from sugar. There is an additional chart in the book to convert starchy food readings to sugar equivalents.
Some produce resists efforts to get a drop of juice for testing:
Consider that it may be very high brix and that the juice is really thick.
Try cutting a very thin slice (1/16" to lay on the prism---it really works!), or
Crush a leaf and lay that on the prism, or
Grind the food in a processor and squeeze the chopped result.
Be wary of dehydrated produce.
Some foods are made to order for testing:
You can plunge the prism end of many refractometers into citrus fruits. Then pull the instrument back and flip the plate down to get the reading. (The plunge method works well on other very ripe fruits and any tomatoes).
(*) Protein quality is a subject of much interest to farmers. Should you ever visit a farm show devoted to biological growing, as opposed to chemical growing, you are almost sure to find a booth where they have common ear corn sealed in air-tight jars. As could be expected, corn grown with their products will be as good as the day it was picked. On the other hand, ears of corn identified as grown with ordinary N-P-K technology will be seriously decomposed. This "oddity," which is far more common than you may suspect, is generally attributed to "funny" protein. When pressed, the speaker will describe malformed proteins and how they appear when too much nitrogen in the form of N-P-K is applied to the growing crop. Much money is spent on "research" to discover ways of using yet more chemical additives to keep poor quality food from decomposing right on supermarket shelves. One must wonder if any of those funds found their way to explore this phenomenon whether we might learn much about good agriculture and good food.
CARE & CLEANING
Refractometers require little, if any, special care. Normal wind, rain, cold, or heat will not damage them. (However, you should remember that temperature extremes might require using the correction chart).
Clean off plant juices with a moist paper towel after use (avoid grit or sand).
You should not drop one, but accidents do happen. Check the calibration and continue using the instrument if there is no physical damage. Physical damage requires a return to the factory.
Note: you can purchase prepared standard calibration liquids if your work requires extreme accuracy. Perhaps you have contracted to pay a certain premium if a grower achieves a higher-level brix and there is some question as to whether the specified mark was reached. A calibration solution can help referee.
THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD BRIX
Professor A. F. W. Brix was a 19th Century German chemist (b.1798, d.1890). He was the first to measure the density of plant juices by floating a hydrometer in them. The winemakers of Europe were concerned that they could not predict which of various grape juices would make the best wine. Being able to judge quality ahead of actual bottling was of immense importance in an industry where a bottle of the best wine might sell for hundreds of times more than a bottle of everyday wine. Professor Brix was greeted as a great hero when he emerged from his laboratory to claim his most generous prize. He was also honored by having the measuring process named after him.
BRIX is a measure of the percent solids (TSS) in a given weight of plant juice---nothing more---and nothing less.
BRIX is often expressed another way: BRIX equals the percentage of sucrose. However, if you study the contents of this book, you will soon enough understand that the "sucrose" can vary widely. For, indeed, the BRIX is actually a summation of the pounds of sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones, and other solids in one hundred pounds of any particular plant juice.
BRIX varies directly with plant QUALITY. For instance, a poor, sour tasting grape from worn out land can test 8 or less BRIX. On the other hand, a full flavored, delicious grape, grown on rich, fertile soil can test 24 or better BRIX.
I suggest that you remember that sugar is only one of the components of brix. Also remember that many other substances can falsely indicate "brix" readings (although those readings are valid in their own right). Try rubbing alcohol, whiskey, vinegar, or wine. Interestingly, cooking oil, molasses, syrup, and other thick liquids require a refractometer calibrated to read 30-90 brix. Honey is checked with a refractometer calibrated to measure the water within it instead of the solids in the water.
When you look through the lens you will see a scale from 0 upwards. If the line between the white and blue is very fuzzy, that is a sign that you have good available calcium levels. You can easily read the brix levels in the eye piece.
Either use our spreadsheet (overleaf) or design your own to keep a track of collected data. It takes a series of data collections to begin seeing patterns, don’t jump to conclusions after one test!
Understand that your brix readings will be affected by the time of day so try to always take them at a regular time each week. The best time is between 11:00am and 4:00pm. The readings at the end of the day will be higher because plants collect sugars in their leaves as they photosynthesis during sunlight. As the sun goes down around half of the sugars (containing the minerals) are sent back down to the roots to attract and feed the micro organisms in the soil.
High water levels in the soil affects brix readings, unless the brix is very high and very stable. Make a note of the month and if it has been very sunny or wet etc so you can see these patterns.
If you are getting very high and very low readings on the same plant at different times of the day it could be that the brix is unstable meaning you are getting there, but not quite there yet with your soil health. Consistent readings over 12-14 (leaf tests, not fruit ) means you are growing food capable of nourishing the cells of your body, and if the readings stay up after picking for a day or two then you have pretty stable brix which means the food holds it’s quality, and “shelf life” after picking, for longer.
Use the sheet included inside the refractometer case to see what are generally regarded as low, medium and high readings for individual crops. It tells you if it is a leaf or fruit test that you need to do.
I prefer to take readings on the day I do my foliar feeding so that I can retest an hour after foliar feeding to see if the foliar spray I used was beneficial to the plant. If it is, the brix goes up. Whatever makes the brix go up is what is missing, the limiting factor...very often calcium. After trialling a foliar spray on a few plants, then I may spray that over the entire crop or garden.
Question: I've paid close attention to the "fuzzy" line effect, which does seem to really matter, i.e., if two items have the same brix reading, the fuzzy line item will taste better than the one with a sharp line. Why is that?
Answer: First, simple sugar mixed in distilled water will give a razor-sharp demarcation line, whereas high-quality amino, proteins, oils, and other life goodies tend to widely refract.
Dr. Reams and his associates, after countless tests, insisted that the brix of the biological mineral-rich crops they supervised was always in the range of "50% sugar." It has been my experience that "organic" produce, whether poor or good, tends to fall in the biological category. On the other hand, the Florida Department of Agriculture insists that the sugar component of commercially grown citrus is 75%. This is a huge difference.
Now you must understand that the plant creates simple sugars as it's basic building blocks. It then combines those sugars with various essential minerals to create vitamins, hormones, amino acids, complete proteins, taste factors, and those various other goodies. I call those the factors of *life* versus the simple sugar building blocks.
It is very important to understand that this is a dynamic process. I.e., the plant is making sugar and then making the conversion to life factors all in the same day.
So, if the plant's ability to convert sugar into life factors is hampered by a lack of needed mineral (mostly the case with commercial produce) then the sugar tends to "back up," both in the leaf and in the fruit. That rather easily explains how you can have two items of identical brix with one being "fuzzy" and the other being "sharp." The former is because the instrument is reporting a large and varied atomic distribution richly composed of those aforementioned "life factors." The latter, sharper brix, of course, is a visual validation that much simple sugar is present.
Our taste buds are incredibly accurate registers---they well know the difference between simple sugar and large amounts of the substances needed to sustain life.
the nice thing about high brix gardening is can be performed with organics and/or chemis, once the basics are understood
so we are going to be exploring the work of 2 men in particular, and some others who followed in their footsteps.. those men are Carey Reams and William Albrecht.. they were the ones who really brought the understanding about soil balancing to the masses.. one main difference in their approaches is the way they tested the soil.. Albrecht advocated the Mehlich-3 test, a medium strength extractant, to get an idea of the total availability of minerals in a soil sample; while Reams promoted the Morgan test, which is a mild acid meant to simulate which minerals are actually available to roots throught the acids they release..
first let's look at the Reams approach
from http://www.aglabs.com/pdfs/Feb07_Rea...g_andersen.pdf
Carey Reams’ Testing & Evaluation Methods
by Arden Andersen, Ph.D., D.O.
The Reams soil test was developed to reflect, in the test values, characteristics actually observed in the field, including soil compaction and tilth, weed and pest problems, crop quality and yield, and overall stability of soil and plant nutrients. No other testing system can make such a claim.
Because of the drawbacks inherent in traditional soil testing, Reams adopted a system that closely resembled the biologically soluble level of major nutrients. Reams understood that just because a nutrient was present did not guarantee that it was of any value, analogous to being in the middle of the ocean and suffering from a lack of water. He tested calcium, phosphate, potash, nitrate and ammoniacal nitrogens, ERGS (conductivity in micromhos or microsiemen), and various trace elements.
Using this method, now known as the Reams test (which makes use of the LaMotte testing kit and the Morgan procedure), Reams established the following nutrient levels for a minimally balanced soil:
Calcium ~ 2,000-4,000 lbs.
Magnesium ~ 285-570 lbs.
Phosphate ~ 400 lbs.
Potash ~ 200 lbs.
Nitrate nitrogen ~ 40 lbs.
Ammonium nitrogen ~ 40 lbs.
Sulfate ~ 200 lbs.
ERGS ~ 200-600 micromhos / microsiemen
pH ~ 6-7
Sodium ~ 20-70 ppm
Reams developed his ratios by observing nature and evaluating the soil in conjunction with such observation. Consequently, using the Reams soil test, many soil characteristics can be identified before one sets foot in the field. For example, if the calcium level is less than 2,000 pounds per acre, there will be possible energy-reserve deficiencies, weakened skin and cell strength, bruising susceptibility of fruit, soil compaction — especially if there is a narrow calcium-to-magnesium ratio (7:1) — weakened stems or stalks, and grass/weed problems. Further related to the calcium-to-magnesium ratio is the fact that a narrow ratio reduces nitrogen efficiency, requiring additional applications of that nutrient.
When the phosphate-to-potash ratio is less than 2:1 for row crops and 4:1 for forage crops, it will be difficult to sustain crop refractometer readings above 12 brix at the crop’s weakest point. There also will be less than maximum production and crop vigor, as well as broadleaf weed problems and the possibility of insect and disease infestation.
The nitrate nitrogen levels indicate the potential growth status of the nutrient reserves in the soil. If this level gets too high, there will be problems with blossom drop and in getting fruit to set. High nitrate nitrogen levels also increase the potential for frost damage and winter kill, especially if the phosphate levels are less than desirable.
A low ammoniacal nitrogen level indicates poor biological activity and stability. The nitrate nitrogen levels on the Reams test are relatively easy to achieve with applications of chemical nitrogen. The ammoniacal nitrogen, however, will not remain until a very active microorganism system is established. The ammoniacal nitrogen seems to be one of the last factors to come into line when regenerating a soil.
Sulfate, the next item on the test, is not to be confused with elemental sulfur. Elemental sulfur can cause rot at maturity of fruit and can tie up or interfere with calcium. Sulfate, on the other hand, can help enhance calcium availability, is needed in certain protein and enzyme complexes, and sometimes can aid in mellowing the soil. However, it is possible to apply too much sulfate, which seems to be happening in some areas in an attempt to “hammer down” soil pH with large amounts of gypsum and sulfuric add. This practice causes additional salt problems, calcium demand and microbial stress.
ERGS (energy released per gram of soil), measured in micromhos or microsiemen, represents the amount of energy available to the growing crops and microorganisms. The reading must be interpreted in relationship to the inherent conductivity of the base soil due to salts and nonnutrient minerals. If the overall reading gets above 1,000, there is generally a salt problem, energy loss and waste, and increased potential for root burn and nematode proliferation. If the ERGS level drops below 200, little or no crop growth is occurring. Late-season crop finishing is directly correlated to the ERGS level.
Soil pH is an indicator of energy resistance. It varies throughout the growing season and is a reflection of what types of microorganisms are flourishing. Extremes in pH can indicate problems — with vegetative growth if pH is too low, or with fruiting if pH is too high. Soil pH will vary throughout the growing season and should be monitored to track this change — maximum nutrient exchange occurs between 6 and 7 pH. It is also a handy indicator in checking foliar sprays. Ideally, the final spray will be between 6 and 7 pH. Some people contend that foliar sprays should be between 4 and 5.5 pH because research has shown that plant sap is close to this level. It is — under inferior nutritional standards and low refractometer readings. It is also easier for the chemical people to get higher-analysis spray solutions when the pH is this low, but that does not mean it is ideal for the plant or the efficiency of the spray.
Sodium is a fairly ubiquitous element, yet it can often become problematic when in excess concentrations. As sodium concentration surpasses 70 ppm, the soil will become increasingly dumpy and compact, exemplify poor water-exchange characteristics, require greater calcium levels for balance, and show excessive ERGS levels.
Reams observed that if he took care to balance the soil sufficiently to achieve these test values, his crops would be free of insect, disease, and weed infestations; they would be nutritionally sound, give excellent yield, be profitable, and be repeatable. Reams knew he could not achieve these results if he ignored the microbiology. Consequently, he taught that it was essential to learn basic biology applied to agronomy. He found that destitute microbes responded to sugar or molasses and calcium. In fact, the microbes responded to the same things he postulated to be necessary for the crops.
The key to Reams’ program, though, was energy. He realized that nature could not be described within the confines of any mechanistic theory of chemistry. Nature is energetic and thus encompasses chemistry and every other science.The major conceptual aspects of Reams’s teachings involve the use of fertilizers. Reams advocated applying several tons of high-calcium lime and a ton of soft rock phosphate per acre, as well as several tons of chicken manure. These recommendations are conceptual relative to today’s applications. They were developed several decades ago in different conditions, and subsequent experience has shown that if smaller amounts of these materials are applied, we often get better results. The challenge in most areas is determining what to use to get the calcium and phosphate in line.
Reams used soft rock phosphate rather than acidized or hard rock phosphate. Although he was not opposed to hard rock phosphate, he preferred to use soft rock because it was colloidal. Colloidal particles are the key to biological systems. They do not tie up as readily as do noncolloidal materials. Reams found that, over the long term, the only way to achieve the phosphate availability of 400 pounds per acre in a 2:1 ratio with potash on the Reams soil test was by using soft rock phosphate.
Reams used calcium carbonate, never dolomite. He observed that sufficient magnesium would be available if he balanced the calcium, phosphate and microorganisms and then applied fertilizer quantities of sul-po-mag. Magnesium, he found, interfered with nitrogen. Large amounts of magnesium require large amounts of nitrogen and vice versa. An excess of magnesium relative to calcium also causes the soil to compact, thus further degrading the microsystem of the soil.
In traditional agriculture, plant-tissue testing is done in addition to soil testing to evaluate the need for nutrients. Reams placed little credence in plant-tissue analyses for two reasons. First, they test symptoms, not causes — plants are reflections of the soil. Second, they are evaluated using sub-optimum health standards. Farmers may find that their crop possesses adequate levels of nutrients according to the tissue analyses, yet the crop still has a low refractometer reading, insect and disease infestation, poor shelf life, and so on.
For tissue analyses to be of value, the standards that the farmer is seeking to achieve for his crop must be increased to represent the actual crop quality that is found when plants are nutritionally sound and not dependent on chemicals to protect them from insect pests.
At present, there are no standard correlations between tissue analyses and refractometer readings. In establishing these correlations, distinctions must be made between leaf, vein and petiole evaluations. The lower the nutrient balance, the greater the variation will be between the parts of the plants, both in the refractometer readings and the nutrient analyses.
Multiple nutrient interactions also must be considered. For example, magnesium regulates nitrogen in the plant’s system. If the magnesium level decreases too much, there will be an excess of free nitrogen in the system; this free nitrogen carries water with it, resulting in a diluted nutrient concentration, a lower refractometer reading, and lower plant health.
Using the Reams soil test, we can predict accurately whether soil compaction is present in the field. This can be determined by evaluating the calcium-to-magnesium ratio. If this ratio is less than seven pounds of calcium to one pound of magnesium, compaction will occur. Even at a 7:1 ratio, if there are more than 70 parts per million (mg/liter) of sodium, there will be compaction. As these ratios come into line, compaction decreases until it ceases to be a problem. People often blame compaction on heavy equipment and frequent traffic across the soil. These things do cause compaction of soils with calcium-to-magnesium ratios of less than 7:1. They do not cause compaction of soils with calcium-to-magnesium ratios of 7:1 or more and less than 70 parts per million of sodium. Compaction is a phenomenon of physics (particle attraction/repulsion) and aeration.
Take two magnets and hold them together, north pole to north pole. Then release your grip on the magnets and observe what happens. The magnets separate by themselves. Proper mineral ratios in the soil reflect the same phenomenon. You can press the soil particles together, but as soon as the compression is released, the particles repel each other.
Now take a sponge, place it on the floor, and step on it. It compresses. Lift your foot, and the sponge returns to its original form. Pick up the sponge and inspect it closely. Notice that it contains as much air space as sponge material. The air space allows the sponge to be compressed and then to return to its original form after the compression passes. This is what happens in the soil once biological activity and humus are restored. The soil will function like a sponge, even under the heaviest farm equipment. The biological activity and humus are restored in direct proportion to the restoration of the calcium-to-magnesium ratio.
The calcium-to-magnesium and phosphate-to-potash ratios constitute the bulk of information from the soil test. One must remember, though, that the soil test indicates only what was happening when the soil was tested. Traditional opinion suggests that soil be tested only once a year, at the most. Ideally, however, a farmer should use the Reams test each week of the growing season, charting the variations in nutrient levels.
Initially and every few years, it also is beneficial to compare the Reams test results to those of a conventional soil test from a reputable firm to establish a guideline as to the reserve nutrient levels in the soil. The combination of these two tests provides a directive concerning the approach to take in fertilization. For example, if the coinventional test indicated several thousand pounds of calcium but the Reams test indicated only several hundred, we would know that there is poor microbial activity. Initially, our fertilization approach would probably favor those materials that would catalyze the releasing of calcium rather than the building of a calcium reserve. Such materials might be sugar, molasses, vitamin B12, humic acid, fermentation products, enzyme materials, liquid calcium products, hydrogen peroxide, compost, or simply aeration of the soil.
If, on the other hand, both the conventional and the Reams test showed only several hundred pounds of calcium, we could assume that there was very little calcium with which to work. In this case, we would apply a few to several hundred pounds of calcium carbonate (high-calcium lime) in either ground or pelleted form, in addition to the catalyst materials previously mentioned, to gradually build the calcium base.
Even in the first example, if economics permitted, we would probably apply a few hundred pounds of calcium carbonate per acre. In traditional practice, calcium is treated as a soil amendment and is applied by the ton rather than by the pound. We are treating calcium as a nutrient and applying it as a fertilizer, in fertilizer quantities. This is not to say that one cannot benefit from applying a ton or two of calcium carbonate to the soil, but this would be our second choice. Keep the quantities low in the spring or just before a crop is planted. This timing will lessen the chance of reducing the yield. Several applications of a few hundred pounds of lime will give better results more quickly than single large applications.
Farmers often ask how they can decrease their magnesium, potash or other excess nutrients. In some cases, certain nutrients will actually decline when the overall nutrient balance comes into line as the microorganism population is regenerated. One such nutrient is sodium. Often, high sodium levels will actually drop due to soil regeneration. This is due to complexing and perhaps transmutation of the sodium.
To correct the imbalance, raise the other nutrients. If you have a 2:1 calcium-to-magnesium ratio, correct it by raising the calcium. If you have a 4:1 potash-to-phosphate ratio (very common in American agriculture), correct it by raising the phosphate. Sugar is an important component to add to acid phosphates. It helps buffer the phosphate and make it compatible with microorganisms. Especially relative to phosphate is microorganism activity — it is imperative to stimulate this activity in order to get the 2:1 phosphate-to-potash ratio on the Reams test.
It is advisable to couple any soil test with field history and characteristics to further correlate the soil-test nutrient levels to their meanings. The more complete the picture formed from these data, the more effective will be one’s fertility recommendations. Accurate record keeping is essential, as is soil testing at least once during the growing season to establish nutrient status under load.
Nutrient draw from the soil is greatest during the latter part of the growing season. This is when we want to know how the soil is performing “under load.” An analogy would be to evaluate the capacity of a water-well aquifer while the pump is pumping full capacity, versus while the pump is idle. No single item will show you the entire situation. All items must be combined with astute field observation and common sense. No number is perfect unless all the numbers are perfect.
All this fantastic info copied from C-Ray @ UDG... not sure where he gt it... but :gthumb:
Thread Opened... Thanks to C-ray for sharing all this!
What Is Brix?
Common optical refractometer can be used to measure high brix in produce and juices.Brix is a term popularized by Carey Reams. When used on plant sap it is primarily a measure of the carbohydrate level in plant juices. The instrument used to obtain a brix reading is the refractometer. Refractometers come in two basic styles, optical and digital. Both types work great. Here is how a refractometer is used: squeeze out some sap from a plant, put 2 drops of the juice on the prism, close the prism cover, point to a light source, focus the eye piece, and read the measurement. The brix reading is indicated where the light and dark fields intersect.
What part of the plant is used for taking a brix reading? Whatever part you eat if it is ripe. If it is not ripe take the most recent mature leaves that have had full sunlight for at least 2 hours. Ideally measurements should be taken at the same time of day as you compare throughout the growing season.
A refractometer measures the amount of bend or refraction in the rays of light as they pass through the plant sap. This is why a brix chart is more properly called a Refractive Index of Crop Juices.
What causes light to refract as it passes through plant sap?
1. The amount of carbohydrates in the juice.
2. The amount of dissolved minerals in the plant sap.
3. The amount of covalent bonding.
What proof can be offered to show that higher brix readings equal higher quality?
High Brix Foods Have Greater Carbohydrate Levels
Carbohydrates are the fuel the body uses for basic metabolic function. This has tremendous implications on digestion and human health. This is covered more fully in Food Quality & Digestion.
High Brix Foods Have Greater Mineral Density
One of the health rules that Dr. Carey Reams taught was that:
"All disease is the result of a mineral deficiency."
This rule clearly shows why it is so important to eat foods with high mineral density. One of the most important nutrients that increases with high brix readings is calcium. According to Dr. Reams calcium levels in produce rise and fall proportionately with the brix levels. This has been independently confirmed by Bob Pike in his research on tissue testing. Disorders and degenerative diseases resulting from a calcium deficiency could fill several books.
In addition to increased calcium levels, high brix foods also supply more trace minerals such as copper, iron, and manganese. Trace minerals function as co-enzymes in the digestive process. Co-enzymes work with enzymes as activators of those enzymes. These trace minerals have higher atomic weights. Due to greater mineral density and the inclusion of heavier trace minerals high brix foods weigh more per unit than lower quality produce.
Digital refractometer makes measuring high brix in foods easy.Minerals in foods are in a naturally chelated form. Naturally chelated minerals are bound to amino acids that have a right-hand spin. Amino acids with a right-hand spin are referred to as L-Amino acids. L-Amino acids are biologically active. This translates into easy assimilation into the body compared to inorganic minerals taken in pill form. Amino acids that have been compounded by man have a left-hand spin, which is known as D-Amino acids, or they are a mixture of the L and D form of amino acids. The D form is not biologically active and is rarely found in nature. The L and D forms of amino acids are mirror images of each other. This is the reason why mineral supplements that have minerals bound to an amino acid and claimed to be chelated need to be checked which form the amino acids are in. When it comes to supplementing with vitamins and minerals it is BUYER BEWARE. The indiscriminate use of vitamins and minerals can create a dangerous situation whereas the correct use of vitamins, minerals, and enzymes can be very beneficial to the body. When consuming high quality fruits and vegetables the there is no need for the BUYER BEWARE warning.
High Brix Foods Taste Better
Quality foods that are high in calcium, enzymes and minerals provide good nutrition to the body.Why won’t little Johnny eat his peas? They taste terrible. Little Johnny instinctively knows that sweet tasting peas are better while poor-quality peas are instantly rejected. Have you ever eaten a 22 brix grape? Once you have you won’t forget the taste. A candy bar will be held in disdain by little Johnny compared to 22 brix grapes. Ask any old-timer if they like the taste of fruits and vegetables now compared to when they were young. I am sure you won’t be able to find a single person that feels today’s are better. Taste is built upon the upon the carbohydrate and mineral levels in the produce. When they decline so does the taste. What about aroma? That seems lost as well. Todays average 2-3 brix hydroponic greenhouse tomato looks like a tomato but it has virtually no aroma and is nearly tasteless. It is a poor caricature of what a tomato should be. As a culture Americans are so used to eating low quality produce we don’t even know what really good produce tastes like.
High Brix Plants Are Insect And Disease Resistant
Here we see the handiwork of our Creator. Plants in poor health emit an electo-magnetic frequency that insects tune in to. This in effect calls them in for a feast. Plants in good health emit a different frequency that insects do not tune in to. Nature has been designed to use insects to get rid of poor quality plants that are unfit for human consumption. In the same way a poorly balanced soil will produce plants susceptible to disease. Properly balanced soil will produce plants resistant to disease. William Albrecht put it this way:
“Insects and disease are the symptoms of a failing crop, not the cause of it. It’s not the overpowering invader we must fear but the weakened condition of the victim.”
Ouch!
Animals Instinctively Prefer High Brix Foods
Animals have a greater sense of instinct than does mankind. Their instinct for survival can be seen in the multitude of stories arising from the recent tsunami. Wild animals were not caught by surprise—they had fled for higher ground hours before the waves hit the shores. This same level of instinct carries over to their choice of foods. The foods of highest mineral density and health are preferred over poorer quality. Here is something to ponder over. Wild deer will not graze genetically modified corn stalks unless close to starving. This is why conservationists who are planting corn specifically for the deer population will avoid planting genetically modified corn. Production agriculture has found that it takes twice as many acres of genetically modified cornstalks to get the same amount of weight gain on cattle as compared to conventional non-GMO corn varieties.
Here is an easy experiment to prove this point. Buy whole field corn sold in the birdseed section of your local supermarket and some popcorn. Whole field corn will weigh somewhere around 55 lbs. per bushel while the popcorn will be around 66-68 lbs. per bushel. Offer both corn samples to some chickens that are not overly hungry and see which corn they eat first. They first go after the popcorn with great enthusiasm and then the field corn with less enthusiasm. Why? Popcorn has greater mineral density as indicated by test weight. Cattle have the same instinct. They will always prefer the forage with the higher sugar content. This has been proven many times by seeing which hay cattle eat first when offered a choice.
In conclusion Brix has become the gold standard to measure plant quality. Measuring the brix level on plants is quick, simple, and fairly inexpensive. Unfortunately some of the largest detractors of the Brix=Quality movement propagate a system of agriculture that produces low-brix plants. These plants need ‘crop protection’ in the form of herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides. These pesticides disrupt the delicate microbial balance in the soil and contribute to the continued production of low-brix foods. Another quote from that eminent soil scientist, William Albrecht, seems in order:
"The use of (pesticide) sprays is an act of desperation in a dying agriculture."
The good news is that more and more people are demanding higher-quality food and numerous farmers are getting off the pesticide/GMO/low-brix merry-go-round and beginning to produce food that can have a tremendous impact on improving our health and nutrition—and it all starts with our digestive system.
Click here to download the Brix Chart as a PDF.
Refractometers (A.K.A Brix Meter)
Refractometers are a simple optical instrument that measures the amount of light refracted in a liquid. Refractometers measure on a "Brix" scale and measuring the Brix level of fruits and vegetables is very important because it is a great indicator of flavor and quality.
The higher the brix level of your fruits juices is, the higher the dissolved solids in the foods juices such as sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones and all the other goodness that the plant puts into the food is. It is estimated that in a healthy fruit or vegetable, approximately 80% of the brix is represented by the natural sugars which give the food its great flavor and goodness. It is believed by many people to be the best indicator of quality available in one quick and simple test.
Refractometers are a standard piece of equipment for many Agronomists and is a standard tool used in the fruit and citrus industries. Juice factories and vineyards especially use refractometers so they can measure the level of flavors in the juices and blend them to consistent brix level every time. Many companies are also now offering big bonuses to farmers who can produce high brix fruits because it means they have to add less artificial sweetener to the juices which are devoid of any nutritional value (unlike natural sugars).
THE STAGES OF TESTING AS A GARDENER OR FARMER
IN THE FIELD
Start by testing your finished produce when it is ready for harvest. Recognize that HIGH QUALITY produce comes from HIGH QUALITY plants. Test the leaves of your plants that are not ready for harvest. If they continually test high as the days go by, the harvest will ultimately test high.
Start your testing earlier next season. You are no longer operating blindly. Adjust your fertilization to increase leaf brix. The QUALITY of your produce will be far higher. An excellent step-by-step program using pH & electrical conductivity to adjust leaf brix upwards has been developed by Bob Pike. This method removes much of the traditional guesswork that formerly dominated the "try this---try that" school of how to increase brix.
OBSERVE THAT INSECTS, VIRUS, BACTERIA, AND FUNGUS ONLY ATTACK LOW BRIX PLANTS
Chemical control of plant pests is a multi-billion dollar industry. Each year, the chemical companies spend hundreds of millions of dollars advertising their products purportedly to control insects, viruses, bacteria, and fungus. The chemical companies spend more millions conducting and sponsoring field tests that attempt to prove the special worth of their particular products.
However, their tests assume that all pests voraciously attack all green plants. That premise brings forth the following questions:
What kept the pests from multiplying, and then devouring, everything green millions of years ago? Why is the Earth not a bare rock now?
Understandably, the chemical companies shy away from these questions. Most are well aware that pest problems occur in fields fertilized with NPK.
The true answer is that pests are extremely selective in what they eat. Selectivity is well known. For instance, a cabbageworm dropped in a cornfield starves to death in the midst of plenty. Similarly, corn-smut fungus spores landing in a cabbage patch quietly die.
HIGH-QUALITY organic growers have, for generations, calmly stated that pests leave their produce alone. They are telling the truth. However, the truth of their observations is often clouded by the pests that LOW-QUALITY organic growers battle with garlic sprays and other concoctions.
Simply stated, unhealthy plants attract pests. Parallels are well known in nature. Predators are drawn to the weakest, most unhealthy, animals in a herd.
Another thought is that the syrupy nature of high brix plant juices is simply too difficult for sucking insects, such as aphids, to ingest. In all likelihood they depart in frustration to seek out the watery chemical grown produce of the neighbor’s field.
Finally, some students of BRIX=QUALITY theorize that alcohol plays a major part in plant/pest interaction. Apparently, insects, unlike warm-blooded creatures have no mechanism in their blood to prevent sugar from rapidly fermenting to alcohol. Therefore, they reason an insect feeding on a HIGH BRIX plant would suffer toxic effects from sugar fermentation in their blood. They reason, further, that predators easily catch toxic (or tipsy) insects¾ removing them from the gene pool.
Some alcohol theorists add yet another concept: namely that formed alcohol tends to dissolve the waxy seal exo-skeleton creatures employ to prevent fatal dehydration in hot fields.
Whatever---the reasoning goes on to suggest that insects feeding indiscriminately on HIGH BRIX plants fail to survive evolutionary pressures.
Although there is scant official research to validate any of these theories, there is wide agreement among non-toxic farmers the world around that healthy plants are immune to insect attack and disease.
OBSERVE THAT HIGH LEAF BRIX READINGS PROTECT AGAINST FROST
Pure water freezes at 32 degrees Farenheit. However, a 5 brix water-sugar mixture freezes at 26 degrees; a 10 brix mixture at 22 degrees; and a 15 brix mixture won’t freeze until it reaches 17 degrees. Plant frost damage (killing) occurs when ice crystals rupture plant cells. Many HIGH BRIX growers find their production season extended because the first few light frosts no longer harm their crop.
While a sugar-water mixture is not exactly the same as brix, consumers would be wise to recognize that the last local field-grown produce is almost assuredly the highest brix and therefore the highest quality. Such growers are worth seeking out.
Note: Some refractometer models are calibrated to directly show the temperatures needed to freeze certain liquids.
Price your output accordingly
Once you understand that your produce is sweeter and more nutritious than average, you should be prepared to show your customers why it is worth more.
DEHYDRATION
A drop of plant juice starts drying immediately. Wind and sun speed the drying. If you suspect that your test drop dried enough to affect your result, clean your refractometer and start over. It only takes a moment
Experts suggest that you re-check most tests when you first start using your own refractometer. The ability to duplicate your work by crosschecking is a powerful confidence builder.
Be alert for fading of the demarcation line in the viewing screen. Fading means the sample is drying on the prism. Do not confuse this with fuzziness (blurring---see below) f the demarcation line. You may want to gain experience at spotting fading with your refractometer. Place the smallest drop on the prism that will give a demarcation line. Then examine the screen for a minute or so. Fading should occur fairly soon as the moisture evaporates.
Dehydration is necessary when preparing certain foods. For instance, you must remove many gallons of water from maple sap to make a gallon of maple syrup. A refractometer user could determine in advance exactly how many gallons to evaporate by checking the brix of the fresh sap.
Some refractometer users also know raw sap with HIGH BRIX produces far better, tastier, and more abundant syrup.
Stored fruit & vegetables either rot or dehydrate. Rotting in storage is an unmistakable sign of poor quality. Dehydration is an absolute sign of HIGH QUALITY. The purveyors of low-quality fruits and vegetables seem willing to resist this fact until the end of time. Many consumers are terribly confused on this point because they have been conditioned to cut off rotting portions of a fruit or vegetable and eat the remainder.
Please understand that testing the juice from a dehydrated item of produce can be misleading. Your refractometer will indicate a higher than true brix. While seldom a problem when selecting foods, checking leave tissues in a field of heat-stressed plants can result in erroneous readings. You should avoid using a refractometer to check any plant with any possibility of lack of turgor¾ i.e., droopy leaves. Even when drought is not apparent, it is best to check leaves as early in the morning as possible.
ADVANCED USE (blurry line)
A less-than-sharp demarcation line (blurry/fuzzy/diffused) on the screen is an indication of varied atom distribution¾ i.e., an excellent mixture of minerals. For instance, many veteran refractometer users grow forages for animals and also have access to standard lab tests (so as to make possible direct comparisons of brix vis-à-vis other lab tests). They are adamant in insisting a sharp demarcation is an indication of increased simple sugar and therefore lesser high-quality protein (and other life-enhancing substances) at any given brix level.
Conversely, they suggest a blurry/fuzzy line predicts more, and better quality, proteins (*). Interestingly, the fuzzy line concept appears to be supported by the ability of astronomers to use refracted light to determine the elemental makeup of distant stars. Starlight, properly refracted, is spread out so that the lines left by various elements can be identified. It is suggested that you think of your readings as, say, 12S (sharp) or perhaps 14D (diffuse). In almost all cases, blurry tastes better.
You will quickly, and easily, learn to judge the mid-point of any blurring. Your correct reading lies there.
Blue intensity matters on those models that have a blue background field. When different items reveal the same brix but one has a less intense blue, it will taste sweeter and be higher in calcium, which neutralizes acids. However, the blue background can be overcast by the deep green chlorophyll color of some leafy plants. Do not be discouraged if your field of view appears to "greenout." Simply rotate your body away from the light source and watch for the demarcation as the light intensity diminishes.
Although your mouth readily tells the difference, the refractometer cannot easily distinguish starch from sugar. There is an additional chart in the book to convert starchy food readings to sugar equivalents.
Some produce resists efforts to get a drop of juice for testing:
Consider that it may be very high brix and that the juice is really thick.
Try cutting a very thin slice (1/16" to lay on the prism---it really works!), or
Crush a leaf and lay that on the prism, or
Grind the food in a processor and squeeze the chopped result.
Be wary of dehydrated produce.
Some foods are made to order for testing:
You can plunge the prism end of many refractometers into citrus fruits. Then pull the instrument back and flip the plate down to get the reading. (The plunge method works well on other very ripe fruits and any tomatoes).
(*) Protein quality is a subject of much interest to farmers. Should you ever visit a farm show devoted to biological growing, as opposed to chemical growing, you are almost sure to find a booth where they have common ear corn sealed in air-tight jars. As could be expected, corn grown with their products will be as good as the day it was picked. On the other hand, ears of corn identified as grown with ordinary N-P-K technology will be seriously decomposed. This "oddity," which is far more common than you may suspect, is generally attributed to "funny" protein. When pressed, the speaker will describe malformed proteins and how they appear when too much nitrogen in the form of N-P-K is applied to the growing crop. Much money is spent on "research" to discover ways of using yet more chemical additives to keep poor quality food from decomposing right on supermarket shelves. One must wonder if any of those funds found their way to explore this phenomenon whether we might learn much about good agriculture and good food.
CARE & CLEANING
Refractometers require little, if any, special care. Normal wind, rain, cold, or heat will not damage them. (However, you should remember that temperature extremes might require using the correction chart).
Clean off plant juices with a moist paper towel after use (avoid grit or sand).
You should not drop one, but accidents do happen. Check the calibration and continue using the instrument if there is no physical damage. Physical damage requires a return to the factory.
Note: you can purchase prepared standard calibration liquids if your work requires extreme accuracy. Perhaps you have contracted to pay a certain premium if a grower achieves a higher-level brix and there is some question as to whether the specified mark was reached. A calibration solution can help referee.
THE ORIGIN OF THE WORD BRIX
Professor A. F. W. Brix was a 19th Century German chemist (b.1798, d.1890). He was the first to measure the density of plant juices by floating a hydrometer in them. The winemakers of Europe were concerned that they could not predict which of various grape juices would make the best wine. Being able to judge quality ahead of actual bottling was of immense importance in an industry where a bottle of the best wine might sell for hundreds of times more than a bottle of everyday wine. Professor Brix was greeted as a great hero when he emerged from his laboratory to claim his most generous prize. He was also honored by having the measuring process named after him.
BRIX is a measure of the percent solids (TSS) in a given weight of plant juice---nothing more---and nothing less.
BRIX is often expressed another way: BRIX equals the percentage of sucrose. However, if you study the contents of this book, you will soon enough understand that the "sucrose" can vary widely. For, indeed, the BRIX is actually a summation of the pounds of sucrose, fructose, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, proteins, hormones, and other solids in one hundred pounds of any particular plant juice.
BRIX varies directly with plant QUALITY. For instance, a poor, sour tasting grape from worn out land can test 8 or less BRIX. On the other hand, a full flavored, delicious grape, grown on rich, fertile soil can test 24 or better BRIX.
I suggest that you remember that sugar is only one of the components of brix. Also remember that many other substances can falsely indicate "brix" readings (although those readings are valid in their own right). Try rubbing alcohol, whiskey, vinegar, or wine. Interestingly, cooking oil, molasses, syrup, and other thick liquids require a refractometer calibrated to read 30-90 brix. Honey is checked with a refractometer calibrated to measure the water within it instead of the solids in the water.
When you look through the lens you will see a scale from 0 upwards. If the line between the white and blue is very fuzzy, that is a sign that you have good available calcium levels. You can easily read the brix levels in the eye piece.
Either use our spreadsheet (overleaf) or design your own to keep a track of collected data. It takes a series of data collections to begin seeing patterns, don’t jump to conclusions after one test!
Understand that your brix readings will be affected by the time of day so try to always take them at a regular time each week. The best time is between 11:00am and 4:00pm. The readings at the end of the day will be higher because plants collect sugars in their leaves as they photosynthesis during sunlight. As the sun goes down around half of the sugars (containing the minerals) are sent back down to the roots to attract and feed the micro organisms in the soil.
High water levels in the soil affects brix readings, unless the brix is very high and very stable. Make a note of the month and if it has been very sunny or wet etc so you can see these patterns.
If you are getting very high and very low readings on the same plant at different times of the day it could be that the brix is unstable meaning you are getting there, but not quite there yet with your soil health. Consistent readings over 12-14 (leaf tests, not fruit ) means you are growing food capable of nourishing the cells of your body, and if the readings stay up after picking for a day or two then you have pretty stable brix which means the food holds it’s quality, and “shelf life” after picking, for longer.
Use the sheet included inside the refractometer case to see what are generally regarded as low, medium and high readings for individual crops. It tells you if it is a leaf or fruit test that you need to do.
I prefer to take readings on the day I do my foliar feeding so that I can retest an hour after foliar feeding to see if the foliar spray I used was beneficial to the plant. If it is, the brix goes up. Whatever makes the brix go up is what is missing, the limiting factor...very often calcium. After trialling a foliar spray on a few plants, then I may spray that over the entire crop or garden.
Question: I've paid close attention to the "fuzzy" line effect, which does seem to really matter, i.e., if two items have the same brix reading, the fuzzy line item will taste better than the one with a sharp line. Why is that?
Answer: First, simple sugar mixed in distilled water will give a razor-sharp demarcation line, whereas high-quality amino, proteins, oils, and other life goodies tend to widely refract.
Dr. Reams and his associates, after countless tests, insisted that the brix of the biological mineral-rich crops they supervised was always in the range of "50% sugar." It has been my experience that "organic" produce, whether poor or good, tends to fall in the biological category. On the other hand, the Florida Department of Agriculture insists that the sugar component of commercially grown citrus is 75%. This is a huge difference.
Now you must understand that the plant creates simple sugars as it's basic building blocks. It then combines those sugars with various essential minerals to create vitamins, hormones, amino acids, complete proteins, taste factors, and those various other goodies. I call those the factors of *life* versus the simple sugar building blocks.
It is very important to understand that this is a dynamic process. I.e., the plant is making sugar and then making the conversion to life factors all in the same day.
So, if the plant's ability to convert sugar into life factors is hampered by a lack of needed mineral (mostly the case with commercial produce) then the sugar tends to "back up," both in the leaf and in the fruit. That rather easily explains how you can have two items of identical brix with one being "fuzzy" and the other being "sharp." The former is because the instrument is reporting a large and varied atomic distribution richly composed of those aforementioned "life factors." The latter, sharper brix, of course, is a visual validation that much simple sugar is present.
Our taste buds are incredibly accurate registers---they well know the difference between simple sugar and large amounts of the substances needed to sustain life.
the nice thing about high brix gardening is can be performed with organics and/or chemis, once the basics are understood
so we are going to be exploring the work of 2 men in particular, and some others who followed in their footsteps.. those men are Carey Reams and William Albrecht.. they were the ones who really brought the understanding about soil balancing to the masses.. one main difference in their approaches is the way they tested the soil.. Albrecht advocated the Mehlich-3 test, a medium strength extractant, to get an idea of the total availability of minerals in a soil sample; while Reams promoted the Morgan test, which is a mild acid meant to simulate which minerals are actually available to roots throught the acids they release..
first let's look at the Reams approach
from http://www.aglabs.com/pdfs/Feb07_Rea...g_andersen.pdf
Carey Reams’ Testing & Evaluation Methods
by Arden Andersen, Ph.D., D.O.
The Reams soil test was developed to reflect, in the test values, characteristics actually observed in the field, including soil compaction and tilth, weed and pest problems, crop quality and yield, and overall stability of soil and plant nutrients. No other testing system can make such a claim.
Because of the drawbacks inherent in traditional soil testing, Reams adopted a system that closely resembled the biologically soluble level of major nutrients. Reams understood that just because a nutrient was present did not guarantee that it was of any value, analogous to being in the middle of the ocean and suffering from a lack of water. He tested calcium, phosphate, potash, nitrate and ammoniacal nitrogens, ERGS (conductivity in micromhos or microsiemen), and various trace elements.
Using this method, now known as the Reams test (which makes use of the LaMotte testing kit and the Morgan procedure), Reams established the following nutrient levels for a minimally balanced soil:
Calcium ~ 2,000-4,000 lbs.
Magnesium ~ 285-570 lbs.
Phosphate ~ 400 lbs.
Potash ~ 200 lbs.
Nitrate nitrogen ~ 40 lbs.
Ammonium nitrogen ~ 40 lbs.
Sulfate ~ 200 lbs.
ERGS ~ 200-600 micromhos / microsiemen
pH ~ 6-7
Sodium ~ 20-70 ppm
Reams developed his ratios by observing nature and evaluating the soil in conjunction with such observation. Consequently, using the Reams soil test, many soil characteristics can be identified before one sets foot in the field. For example, if the calcium level is less than 2,000 pounds per acre, there will be possible energy-reserve deficiencies, weakened skin and cell strength, bruising susceptibility of fruit, soil compaction — especially if there is a narrow calcium-to-magnesium ratio (7:1) — weakened stems or stalks, and grass/weed problems. Further related to the calcium-to-magnesium ratio is the fact that a narrow ratio reduces nitrogen efficiency, requiring additional applications of that nutrient.
When the phosphate-to-potash ratio is less than 2:1 for row crops and 4:1 for forage crops, it will be difficult to sustain crop refractometer readings above 12 brix at the crop’s weakest point. There also will be less than maximum production and crop vigor, as well as broadleaf weed problems and the possibility of insect and disease infestation.
The nitrate nitrogen levels indicate the potential growth status of the nutrient reserves in the soil. If this level gets too high, there will be problems with blossom drop and in getting fruit to set. High nitrate nitrogen levels also increase the potential for frost damage and winter kill, especially if the phosphate levels are less than desirable.
A low ammoniacal nitrogen level indicates poor biological activity and stability. The nitrate nitrogen levels on the Reams test are relatively easy to achieve with applications of chemical nitrogen. The ammoniacal nitrogen, however, will not remain until a very active microorganism system is established. The ammoniacal nitrogen seems to be one of the last factors to come into line when regenerating a soil.
Sulfate, the next item on the test, is not to be confused with elemental sulfur. Elemental sulfur can cause rot at maturity of fruit and can tie up or interfere with calcium. Sulfate, on the other hand, can help enhance calcium availability, is needed in certain protein and enzyme complexes, and sometimes can aid in mellowing the soil. However, it is possible to apply too much sulfate, which seems to be happening in some areas in an attempt to “hammer down” soil pH with large amounts of gypsum and sulfuric add. This practice causes additional salt problems, calcium demand and microbial stress.
ERGS (energy released per gram of soil), measured in micromhos or microsiemen, represents the amount of energy available to the growing crops and microorganisms. The reading must be interpreted in relationship to the inherent conductivity of the base soil due to salts and nonnutrient minerals. If the overall reading gets above 1,000, there is generally a salt problem, energy loss and waste, and increased potential for root burn and nematode proliferation. If the ERGS level drops below 200, little or no crop growth is occurring. Late-season crop finishing is directly correlated to the ERGS level.
Soil pH is an indicator of energy resistance. It varies throughout the growing season and is a reflection of what types of microorganisms are flourishing. Extremes in pH can indicate problems — with vegetative growth if pH is too low, or with fruiting if pH is too high. Soil pH will vary throughout the growing season and should be monitored to track this change — maximum nutrient exchange occurs between 6 and 7 pH. It is also a handy indicator in checking foliar sprays. Ideally, the final spray will be between 6 and 7 pH. Some people contend that foliar sprays should be between 4 and 5.5 pH because research has shown that plant sap is close to this level. It is — under inferior nutritional standards and low refractometer readings. It is also easier for the chemical people to get higher-analysis spray solutions when the pH is this low, but that does not mean it is ideal for the plant or the efficiency of the spray.
Sodium is a fairly ubiquitous element, yet it can often become problematic when in excess concentrations. As sodium concentration surpasses 70 ppm, the soil will become increasingly dumpy and compact, exemplify poor water-exchange characteristics, require greater calcium levels for balance, and show excessive ERGS levels.
Reams observed that if he took care to balance the soil sufficiently to achieve these test values, his crops would be free of insect, disease, and weed infestations; they would be nutritionally sound, give excellent yield, be profitable, and be repeatable. Reams knew he could not achieve these results if he ignored the microbiology. Consequently, he taught that it was essential to learn basic biology applied to agronomy. He found that destitute microbes responded to sugar or molasses and calcium. In fact, the microbes responded to the same things he postulated to be necessary for the crops.
The key to Reams’ program, though, was energy. He realized that nature could not be described within the confines of any mechanistic theory of chemistry. Nature is energetic and thus encompasses chemistry and every other science.The major conceptual aspects of Reams’s teachings involve the use of fertilizers. Reams advocated applying several tons of high-calcium lime and a ton of soft rock phosphate per acre, as well as several tons of chicken manure. These recommendations are conceptual relative to today’s applications. They were developed several decades ago in different conditions, and subsequent experience has shown that if smaller amounts of these materials are applied, we often get better results. The challenge in most areas is determining what to use to get the calcium and phosphate in line.
Reams used soft rock phosphate rather than acidized or hard rock phosphate. Although he was not opposed to hard rock phosphate, he preferred to use soft rock because it was colloidal. Colloidal particles are the key to biological systems. They do not tie up as readily as do noncolloidal materials. Reams found that, over the long term, the only way to achieve the phosphate availability of 400 pounds per acre in a 2:1 ratio with potash on the Reams soil test was by using soft rock phosphate.
Reams used calcium carbonate, never dolomite. He observed that sufficient magnesium would be available if he balanced the calcium, phosphate and microorganisms and then applied fertilizer quantities of sul-po-mag. Magnesium, he found, interfered with nitrogen. Large amounts of magnesium require large amounts of nitrogen and vice versa. An excess of magnesium relative to calcium also causes the soil to compact, thus further degrading the microsystem of the soil.
In traditional agriculture, plant-tissue testing is done in addition to soil testing to evaluate the need for nutrients. Reams placed little credence in plant-tissue analyses for two reasons. First, they test symptoms, not causes — plants are reflections of the soil. Second, they are evaluated using sub-optimum health standards. Farmers may find that their crop possesses adequate levels of nutrients according to the tissue analyses, yet the crop still has a low refractometer reading, insect and disease infestation, poor shelf life, and so on.
For tissue analyses to be of value, the standards that the farmer is seeking to achieve for his crop must be increased to represent the actual crop quality that is found when plants are nutritionally sound and not dependent on chemicals to protect them from insect pests.
At present, there are no standard correlations between tissue analyses and refractometer readings. In establishing these correlations, distinctions must be made between leaf, vein and petiole evaluations. The lower the nutrient balance, the greater the variation will be between the parts of the plants, both in the refractometer readings and the nutrient analyses.
Multiple nutrient interactions also must be considered. For example, magnesium regulates nitrogen in the plant’s system. If the magnesium level decreases too much, there will be an excess of free nitrogen in the system; this free nitrogen carries water with it, resulting in a diluted nutrient concentration, a lower refractometer reading, and lower plant health.
Using the Reams soil test, we can predict accurately whether soil compaction is present in the field. This can be determined by evaluating the calcium-to-magnesium ratio. If this ratio is less than seven pounds of calcium to one pound of magnesium, compaction will occur. Even at a 7:1 ratio, if there are more than 70 parts per million (mg/liter) of sodium, there will be compaction. As these ratios come into line, compaction decreases until it ceases to be a problem. People often blame compaction on heavy equipment and frequent traffic across the soil. These things do cause compaction of soils with calcium-to-magnesium ratios of less than 7:1. They do not cause compaction of soils with calcium-to-magnesium ratios of 7:1 or more and less than 70 parts per million of sodium. Compaction is a phenomenon of physics (particle attraction/repulsion) and aeration.
Take two magnets and hold them together, north pole to north pole. Then release your grip on the magnets and observe what happens. The magnets separate by themselves. Proper mineral ratios in the soil reflect the same phenomenon. You can press the soil particles together, but as soon as the compression is released, the particles repel each other.
Now take a sponge, place it on the floor, and step on it. It compresses. Lift your foot, and the sponge returns to its original form. Pick up the sponge and inspect it closely. Notice that it contains as much air space as sponge material. The air space allows the sponge to be compressed and then to return to its original form after the compression passes. This is what happens in the soil once biological activity and humus are restored. The soil will function like a sponge, even under the heaviest farm equipment. The biological activity and humus are restored in direct proportion to the restoration of the calcium-to-magnesium ratio.
The calcium-to-magnesium and phosphate-to-potash ratios constitute the bulk of information from the soil test. One must remember, though, that the soil test indicates only what was happening when the soil was tested. Traditional opinion suggests that soil be tested only once a year, at the most. Ideally, however, a farmer should use the Reams test each week of the growing season, charting the variations in nutrient levels.
Initially and every few years, it also is beneficial to compare the Reams test results to those of a conventional soil test from a reputable firm to establish a guideline as to the reserve nutrient levels in the soil. The combination of these two tests provides a directive concerning the approach to take in fertilization. For example, if the coinventional test indicated several thousand pounds of calcium but the Reams test indicated only several hundred, we would know that there is poor microbial activity. Initially, our fertilization approach would probably favor those materials that would catalyze the releasing of calcium rather than the building of a calcium reserve. Such materials might be sugar, molasses, vitamin B12, humic acid, fermentation products, enzyme materials, liquid calcium products, hydrogen peroxide, compost, or simply aeration of the soil.
If, on the other hand, both the conventional and the Reams test showed only several hundred pounds of calcium, we could assume that there was very little calcium with which to work. In this case, we would apply a few to several hundred pounds of calcium carbonate (high-calcium lime) in either ground or pelleted form, in addition to the catalyst materials previously mentioned, to gradually build the calcium base.
Even in the first example, if economics permitted, we would probably apply a few hundred pounds of calcium carbonate per acre. In traditional practice, calcium is treated as a soil amendment and is applied by the ton rather than by the pound. We are treating calcium as a nutrient and applying it as a fertilizer, in fertilizer quantities. This is not to say that one cannot benefit from applying a ton or two of calcium carbonate to the soil, but this would be our second choice. Keep the quantities low in the spring or just before a crop is planted. This timing will lessen the chance of reducing the yield. Several applications of a few hundred pounds of lime will give better results more quickly than single large applications.
Farmers often ask how they can decrease their magnesium, potash or other excess nutrients. In some cases, certain nutrients will actually decline when the overall nutrient balance comes into line as the microorganism population is regenerated. One such nutrient is sodium. Often, high sodium levels will actually drop due to soil regeneration. This is due to complexing and perhaps transmutation of the sodium.
To correct the imbalance, raise the other nutrients. If you have a 2:1 calcium-to-magnesium ratio, correct it by raising the calcium. If you have a 4:1 potash-to-phosphate ratio (very common in American agriculture), correct it by raising the phosphate. Sugar is an important component to add to acid phosphates. It helps buffer the phosphate and make it compatible with microorganisms. Especially relative to phosphate is microorganism activity — it is imperative to stimulate this activity in order to get the 2:1 phosphate-to-potash ratio on the Reams test.
It is advisable to couple any soil test with field history and characteristics to further correlate the soil-test nutrient levels to their meanings. The more complete the picture formed from these data, the more effective will be one’s fertility recommendations. Accurate record keeping is essential, as is soil testing at least once during the growing season to establish nutrient status under load.
Nutrient draw from the soil is greatest during the latter part of the growing season. This is when we want to know how the soil is performing “under load.” An analogy would be to evaluate the capacity of a water-well aquifer while the pump is pumping full capacity, versus while the pump is idle. No single item will show you the entire situation. All items must be combined with astute field observation and common sense. No number is perfect unless all the numbers are perfect.
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catchup update up to date as of: 02 27 2013
