[Terrapreta] Brix levels

[MFH]

I had lost sight of the usefulness of testing plants for Brix levels. 

 

Brix measures the dissolved solids in plant sap and juices. As a
rule-of-thumb the higher the Brix level the more nutritious a plant will be
to the consumer. And the higher the Brix level the more resistant a plant
will be to pest and disease attack.

 

Brix levels in fruit and vegetables have generally been falling over the
last 25 years, mainly as a result of factory-farming - the concentration on
rapid growth, lots of fertiliser and water, and harvesting before ripeness.
Test the produce in the average supermarket and the Brix levels are
disturbingly low - maybe as low as half the level 25 years ago. So to gain
the same nutritional value you'd need to eat twice as many oranges as did
your parents.

 

Testing is done with a refractometer, with reasonable quality instruments
available around $120.

 

There is lots of amateur evidence that the addition of charcoal increases
plant vigour and health. But a handful of Urea can have the same effect. A
Brix test is probably the cheapest and simplest way of determining whether
the plant in the char soil is actually better for you than the one that has
been boosted with nitrogen. My bet is that it will be.

 

Max H

 

PS - following on from the discussion on plants reactions to stress, they
also do something remarkable in a Brix sense. When a storm is approaching,
plants transfer some of the dissolved solids in the sap into the roots,
presumably to offer some protection for these assets against loss through
broken limbs etc. That's stunning in itself, but more stunning is that this
happens before the storm strikes. In other words the plant detects that a
storm is going to happen, and takes precautions before it arrives. I know
some people who are too intellectually challenged to emulate that.

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