Using Brix On the Farm

The brix is very important as it is a direct measurement of how the plant is performing. Brix is a measurement of sugar content in a substance. To read the sugar content of blueberry plant a refractometer is needed. A Refractometer is an instrument used to obtain a brix reading. The refractometer is a hand held tool that measures the amount of refraction in a beam of light that passes through the substance.

How to use refractometer:

· squeeze sap out of a plant leafs

· put the sap on the prism

· close the prism cover

· Point to a light source

· Focus the eyepiece

· read the measurement

Reading the Brix Number:

The brix number is also known as the sugar number.  The brix number is determined by the way the substance (sap) bends through the liquid. The brix number is actually the angle the light makes. The higher the number that it reads means the higher the sugar content. The lower the reading, the lower the sugar content. The higher the reading of a leaf brix the more the plants will be insect and disease resistant. Weak plants with low brix   numbers give off an electromagnetic frequency that attracts predators.

The sugars are part of the soluble solids. Another component of the soluble solids is the minerals. The minerals determine the health of the plant, and the nutritional value for consumption. The higher the minerals the better the nutrition, and the higher the nutrient density.

To increase the brix a soil food web (soil biology) is needed, which will solubilize the minerals including calcium, and phosphorus which will in the end make plant sugars.

To learn more about the brix process for different methods of use, visit this site https://realfoodcampaign.org/content/brix