How a Brix Meter enables you to look after your soil
Sustainable farming & gardening article.Meters for Modern Farmers from The Meter Man - David von Pein Obtaining optimum prices by looking after your soil Text of an article based on an interview with David von Pein
"Farmers are recognising the need to continually monitor the health of both plants and the soil to ensure their produce is of a quality that attracts optimum prices in this competitive marketplace.
An easy to use device, which has traditionally been used in vineyards to determine optimum harvest times, is simplifying the way in which producers can monitor plant quality, thereby providing farmers with a guide to continuously improve the plants and soil from which they make a living.
The Brix meter. A hand-held device, with a prism at one end, and an eyepiece at the other. When just a few drops of sap or juice are placed on the prism and held up to the light, the light passing through the sap is refracted (bent) according to the composition of that sap.
The brix measurement can be read off the scale, showing levels of sugar, minerals, proteins and vitamines in the plant's juices, commonly referred to as dissolved solids.
The brix meter provides more than just an indication of the nutritional value of the produce itself, it can be used to help monitor underlying problems in the soil in which the produce is grown..."