Over the past several months, we’ve run a series of in-house trials on a range of plants - including tomatoes, chillis, and leafy crops. The aim was to observe how regular applications of Eco Plant Wash (EPW) might influence Brix levels.
Brix is commonly used by experienced growers as an indicator of plant sugar content and overall plant health. Higher Brix is often associated with stronger growth, improved pest resistance, and better nutrient density.
Why We Ran the Trial
Our original focus was simple: to establish whether maintaining clean foliage could enhance the plant’s ability to photosynthesize and produce more sugars.
As the trials progressed, we also began exploring another working theory - that certain components of EPW, particularly the nano-particles of cold-pressed canola oil and organic essential oils, may be absorbed by the plant and contribute directly or indirectly to increased Brix readings.
How We Tested
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Crops: Tomatoes, chillis, and other mixed plants
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Application: Light foliar spray using EPW, applied in the early morning at low pressure
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Frequency: 72 Hour intervals
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Measurement: Brix readings taken 24 hours before application and 24 hours after applications. We used a high accuracy digital refractometer (brix tester)
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Conditions: Typical NZ outdoor growing vegetable garden, also test were conducted in a controlled indoor grow tent
These were informal grower trials, not formal lab studies. However, the tests were repeated several times with consistent trends.
Observed Results
Here’s a snapshot of some of our recorded readings:
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Chilli plant:
Baseline Brix – 10.6%
Post-treatment Brix – 12.2%
Increase – approximately 15% -
Tomato plant:
Baseline Brix – 10.5%
Post-treatment Brix – 13.6%
Increase – approximately 30%
Other crops also showed similar upward shifts, generally between 5% and 30% increases after 2 or more EPW applications.
Our Working Theory
We believe the results are influenced by more than just leaf cleaning. While removing dust and residue undoubtedly improves photosynthesis, we suspect that some of the natural components in EPW may be absorbed by the leaf surface - acting as a mild metabolic stimulant or carbohydrate booster.
The ingredients that we think contributed to the increased brix levels:
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Cold-pressed canola oil - may act as a light carbon source or metabolic aid once absorbed.
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Thyme, clove, and mint essential oils - may support plant resilience, stress relief and physiological activity.
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Citric acid may also help maintain a clean surface and support nutrient uptake or help the plant move nutrients around.
This is not a proven scientific conclusion, but our repeated trials strongly suggest that EPW may be doing more than just cleaning the leaves.
What This Suggests
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Cleaner leaves improve photosynthesis and energy production.
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Essential oils and canola oil in EPW may play a role in supporting Brix increases.
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Consistent application under the right conditions can lead to measurable, repeatable gains.
Next Steps
We plan to continue running comparative trials under different environmental conditions and with more plant types. We encourage other growers to run their own Brix tests using a refractometer to observe how regular foliage care impacts their plants.
While these results are off-record and not part of a formal study, they reflect multiple trials with consistent outcomes.
Final Thoughts
This trial suggests that Eco Plant Wash may help support higher Brix levels through both improved leaf function and potential plant absorption of natural ingredients.
Healthy leaves make healthy plants - and healthier plants produce more flavorful, nutrient-rich crops.
We’ll keep testing and sharing what we learn, until next time...
Happy growing,
The Dominate Team
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