Growers: What percentage of total cost is spent on fertilizers, pesticide, fungicide, etc?

Glenn.InergiAg · July 5, 2018, 2:36pm

Hello Growers! I’d like to know approximately how much you’re spending (as a percentage of total grow cost, or dollar amount) on chemicals such as fertilizers, pesticides, fungicides, et al.

I ask because my company produces a colloidal compound, that’s completely organic and reduces or eliminates the need for these other chemicals.

Not only will it reduce / eliminate the need, but it will also result in faster-growing, healthier and more potent plants (it raises Brix levels), that are more resistant to pests, etc.

Happy to answer any questions you have! I also have a link to a 30-page trial study done a few years back, with an earlier version of our technology that’s at a much lower dilution rate.

Imagine being able to achieve the above with just 0.0375mL per (US) Gallon of water. Literally, a drop in the bucket!

Farmer_Dan · July 5, 2018, 2:50pm

I’ll bite. I am interested in new things.

My fertilizer costs are about $600/year (not Organic), 0.85% of my total costs for 40,000sqft of outdoor canopy. I can inject just about whatever into the field.

I’d be interested to know how this product may reduce my need for NPK.

Glenn.InergiAg · July 5, 2018, 3:13pm

Hi Dan! Thanks for your response and inquiry. The short answer to your question is:

Micelles. Which, at a dilution rate of 1 part OCC to 10,000 parts water, allows the plant to more effectively and efficiently uptake nutrients (N, P, K) from the soil and distribute throughout the plant.

For a more thorough explanation, here’s a presentation on the science of it, and a trial study done back in 2013 using an older version with a dilution rate of only 1:1,000.

Trial: https://www.dropbox.com/s/novjoxkln165p4d/NutraCANN%20usage%20on%20Cannabis.pdf?dl=0

Efficacy / Performance: https://www.dropbox.com/s/kfjiwhmmxf5sec5/Raising%20Efficacy%20%26%20Performance%20with%20CCF_v16.05_B.pdf?dl=0

And I’d be happy to provide you with a free sample, so you can do a side-by-side test (even on two single plants will show results) and see for yourself.

Glenn

Farmer_Dan · July 5, 2018, 4:10pm

I looked over your materials and website, and what interests me most is the fungistatic and bactericidal action. Of course, enhanced growth is always welcome.

I am set up to be able to side-by-side on my rows. I run 2 double rows of 6 strains and a single row of 1 other strain. I intend to spray some biological fungicide at flower initiation and again mid flower (Actinovate and Serenade). This might make a good addition.

My three concerns are:

The statement that too much will slow growth. Why is that?

Aside from just a sample, and assuming I follow the once every 2 weeks application, what is the cost per acre for this product for the season?

Is this registered for use in the USA, specifically Oregon? Does it need to be? I think agricultural products need to be approved, but I am not too knowledgable on the topic.

Also, are you proposing the use of your Resisto, Blu, or Black product for cannabis?

Thanks for the info!

Glenn.InergiAg · July 5, 2018, 4:23pm

Great questions, Dan. Please allow me some time to respond fully, as I am doing other things simultaneously.

We are USDA/EEOC certified organic and US BioBased. I’m not aware of any further certifications or registrations being necessary, but will double-check to be sure.

As for specific formulations, we would probably go with the OCC NO10K, which is our “latest and greatest.” (But let me confirm.)

Here’s a link to the MSDS: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6tgezfh7co310tc/NOC10K%20MSDS.pdf?dl=0

Regards,

Glenn

Growernick · July 5, 2018, 5:33pm

Dan and Glenn,

If you end up doing a side by side study, I know we would all be interested in the results! Sounds promising!

Farmer_Dan · July 5, 2018, 5:42pm

Currently, each double row is roughly the same size on both sides. We could even get a total wet weight at harvest for each side. I could probably do a dry weight on usable material, but that would be more costly for me in the form of slowed processing. Wet weight wouldn’t slow me down too much, and should be a relative measure of effectiveness.

Growernick · July 5, 2018, 5:46pm

I agree. The wet weight should be reflective of the dry weights, provided that harvest/drying conditions are identical. I’d be interested to see the results!

Glenn.InergiAg · July 5, 2018, 6:03pm

Dan - is weight the only measure of effectiveness you’d be concerned about? What about THC (et al) levels, increased yield per row, reduction of other inputs?

We typically establish these metrics upfront, in order to have as complete a profile as possible for the outcome.

I’m curious to know what metrics matter to you, and how we can demonstrate the positive affects of our OCC. Thanks!

Growernick · July 5, 2018, 6:07pm

We try to go for metrics that can be universalized: weight and THC, CBD, and terpene levels are all effective measures of success. It’s sometimes hard to quantify metrics like disease resistance, other than the reduction of pesticides and reduction of outbreaks. Dan, what are your thoughts?

Farmer_Dan · July 5, 2018, 6:12pm

I am bulk wholesale to hash processors. I am paid by weight for whole flower. Sure, more cannabinoids and terpenes would be welcome, and I am sure my customer would love that, but it boils down to weight (flower yield) for now. Maybe I will be paid premium based on quality at some point, but for now that doesn’t seem to be the case.

Increased bud weight relative to the whole plant weight would be useful to know, but in general, if the wet weight is higher, the flower yield will be higher and that is good enough for me.

Growernick · July 5, 2018, 6:11pm

Weight it is!

Farmer_Dan · July 6, 2018, 4:51am

Here are some rows of various strains that I think are more or less equivalent on both sides of the row. Not every row is this uniform, but these 5 are.

Barney’s Farm LSD

Gorilla Glue #4

William’s Wonder

Grandaddy Purple

Blue Magoo

cberg · July 6, 2018, 2:12pm

Just putting in my 2 cents…quantifying disease resistance is definitely possible, but more practical indoors, where there are less factors at play. Maybe someone can run this separately? To do a proper trial though you’d want to introduce the disease in question…most growers don’t want to do that lol.

Farmer_Dan · July 6, 2018, 4:00pm

Yes, that is done at the university quite often. I wouldn’t waste cannabis on that sort of trial. You could easily get those sort of results from a less valuable plant. Funny, not haha, story about that. Oregon State University has many trial fields for various reasons. I know a guy who manages the fruit trees. One year, they infected a bunch of fruit trees to test a new fungicide. It was harvest season and the gleaners come out and take experimental varieties, or what is good/safe after testing something. They were told not to clear the fruit trees, but the did anyway. The manager was pretty ticked, not only did his study get ruined (no fruit to examine), but a bunch of people are now eating an experimental fungicide…

I did a yield trial on a super absorbent product that holds several times its weight in water. They wanted me to drought stress one of the trials and controls, and I said, “no way!”. Maybe if my canopy was unrestricted, but I’m not going to jeopardize my bottom line for someone else’s product. It is more of a general ag product (meant to be side dressed with corn seed and whatnot) and they were looking for a cannabis trial. The product did not work as expected absent drought, in fact yield was lower. Cannabis prefers drier conditions. Maybe it would be better for someone who has limited access to water, but my available water is abundant. knock on wood

Glenn.InergiAg · July 6, 2018, 3:33pm

Thanks for the clarification, Dan.

Glenn.InergiAg · July 6, 2018, 3:36pm

Glenn.InergiAg · July 6, 2018, 3:45pm

When you say, “indoors,” you’re referring to a greenhouse, not a hydroponic operation, correct?

A hydroponic one is difficult to test, for that reason: it’s indoors and tightly controlled. The most common issue that we see are fungus, mold/ mildew. Believe it or not, these can easily be handled using a 3% solution of Hydrogen Peroxide, which, when used in conjunction with our OCC, increases the defense against this, AND…the process releases a single oxygen atom from the H2O2, leaving…

Have you looked at the outdoor trial document? There are a number of things affecting the plants, from insects to fungus and mold. All were successfully handled by the OCC.

Trial: https://www.dropbox.com/s/novjoxkln165p4d/NutraCANN%20usage%20on%20Cannabis.pdf?dl=0

Farmer_Dan · July 6, 2018, 4:07pm

Why did your outdoor trial run not have a control group? They’re pretty important for determining efficacy, particularly with outdoor in an uncontrolled environment.

Glenn.InergiAg · July 6, 2018, 4:23pm

Happy Friday, Dan!

To answer your questions:

Why too much OCC will slow growth - Maybe “slow” was not the best word choice. “Normalize” would be more accurate. It won’t retard growth below what the plant would normally do.

The higher the dilution rate, the higher the electrokinetic charge of the micelles. (This charge helps the micelles transport the compounds they encapsulate, through the lipid-membrane cell walls.) Therefore, too much OCC = a lower dilution rate = lower electrokinetic charge = less penetration of the membrane. So just be sure to maintain a 1:10,000 ratio of OCC / H2O.

The cost per acre depends on the amount of water you use, so I can’t answer that, directly. But, the retail price is about $200 per liter of concentrate (We sell worldwide and the price varies.) The tank mix dilution rate is 1:10,000, so this is enough OCC for 10,000 Liters of water. There are 3.8 Liters per Gallon, so that’s 2,631 gallons.

Use at the same time you spray nutrients / fungicide. This can be done monthly or bi-weekly intervals, added to your tank mix. You will see positive effects either way.

Please tell me how much water is used per season, as I’m very curious to know the numbers.

Our OCC is classified as an Adjuvant and as such, has no restrictions in Oregon. And it is USDA certified Organic. It may be used anywhere in the US.
We will provide samples of the NOC10K

MSDS: MSDS: https://www.dropbox.com/s/6tgezfh7co310tc/NOC10K%20MSDS.pdf?dl=0

Outdoor Cannabis Trial Results: NutraCANN usage on Cannabis - Final.pdf (1.9 MB)

OCC as a High-Performance Delivery System: OCC_HPDS_v18.5g.pdf (2.0 MB)

Additional OCC NOC10K info: OCC_FLYER_NOC10K_EN_v18.05E.pdf (285.7 KB)

I hope this answers your questions and provides additional information about this product. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns. Thank you very much!

Glenn