The Celt
Well-Known Member
Hmmm, sometimes it’s good to avoid these kinds of discussions, now you have me curious about Si levels in alfalfa lol
InTheShed Grows Inside & Out: Jump In Any Time
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- #20,362
I think he was as well! But I wanted to know if almost all of the Si in your soil came from the DE. I agree that it probably takes a long time for microbes to make insoluble Si into soluble, but whether that's a month or a year is well beyond me. But that's okay because it's not part of my fact-finding mission on DE. Soluble Si is what I'm after, in a form that doesn't involve combining it with potassium or calcium.
I had read that about high pH, which would mean I would really need to raise the pH of my water when doing the mixing. If I'm going to that trouble, I might as well use potassium silicate and balance it with nitrogen to maintain the N-K ratio.
...I've started using horsetail ACT's as a supplemental source of silica(just last year), as per bob's recommendations...cheerz... 
...h00k...
...h00k...- Thread starter
- #20,364
Thanks! Any species of horsetail?
Equisetum - Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org
The Celt
Well-Known Member
Well after reading a number of articles about alfalfa digestiblity in cows and not finding what I wanted without paying membership to some cow rag or science mag, until I decide to attempt DWC, I will continue on as before.
As for high pH to disolve DE, why not consider CaOH and let it form Calcium Silicate rather than Potassium Silicate.
never mind Calcium Silicate has lower solubility than DE lol
never mind Calcium Silicate has lower solubility than DE lol
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- #20,366
You should definitely continue what you're doing Celt!
In terms of calcium silicate, the calcium becomes something else I would need to look out for, as my nutes and my water already contain it. This is why I'm looking for pure plant-available silica.
I wonder if container-grown horsetail has the same silica content as wild-grown, due to the higher content of Si in open soil compared to bagged soil. Otherwise I could grow it in the planters on my patio.
...don't recall the species name off hand, and if my laptop was working I could post that as well as picture's and a recipe...@bobrown could help...cheerz...
...h00k...
The Celt
Well-Known Member
@InTheShed, I actually went back and retracted the Calcium Silicate comment, forgot to check its solubility. Been over 20 years since I attended Organic Chemistry so a little rusty and forget to check things like that lol
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No problem h00k! I'm sure I can find it with a bit of digging.
Thanks Celt! I never took Organic Chem (and I didn't absorb any from having a roommate who did!) so you're light years ahead of me.
The Celt
Well-Known Member
Part of studying to become an engineer, didn’t have much choice lol but I did enjoy it, even if I was studying at a cow college lol
Now we’re doing chemistry too?
What’s next? Adapting the Drake equation to pheno hunt?
What’s next? Adapting the Drake equation to pheno hunt?
Lapidavitque
Well-Known Member
Hi Shed,
easy grow do a product called raw silica is that any good?
easy grow do a product called raw silica is that any good?
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- #20,373
Nice find Lapida!Not sure about the "Log in to see prices" aspect though (plus shipping from the UK might get pricey). Interestingly, Easy Grow posts a youtube video on their Raw Silica page from NPK Industries, which also sells silica, but it's available on Amazon for $37 for a ½ pound. I wonder if the companies are related.
Interestingly, the guy in the video says "some of it dissolves, which makes it immediately available..."! The rest of it? They don't say.
NPK Industries recommends 0.55g/gallon for most of the plant's life, which works out to 9 cents/gallon.
For mV:
.5 lbs = 226.796 grams
$37/226.796 = $0.16314220709/gram
$0.16314220709*.55g = $0.0897282139
That's about half the price of a couple of other companies doing raw silica, including Power Si and Alchemist Stout MSA - Mono-silicic acid for plants. Those work out to 17-20 cents/gallon in flower at their recommended dosages.
Much better deal for the NPK stuff.
Of course, diatomaceous earth is a heck of a lot cheaper than that, but there are many more unknowns in terms of how much to use and how much is making it to the plants. Or are there if only "some" of the raw silica dissolves?
mumps
Well-Known Member
even (and especially) in those dark times i wish a good international workers day to all of you!
CraZysWeeD
Well-Known Member
Yesterday the 30th April the Swedes and most of northern Europe celebrate Valborg, it has its roots in Christianity and in the killing of women suspected of witchcraft were put on crosses in these fires. If they lived the process they were witches...
Now days we use this feast to get rid of rubble.
Under the pandemic circumstances now the celebration with fires was postponed to next year.
Now days we use this feast to get rid of rubble.
Under the pandemic circumstances now the celebration with fires was postponed to next year.
Sheesh that witch thing got around, or was it the Christianity?Yesterday the 30th April the Swedes and most of northern Europe celebrate Valborg, it has its roots in Christianity and in the killing of women suspected of witchcraft were put on crosses in these fires. If they lived the process they were witches...
Now days we use this feast to get rid of rubble.
Under the pandemic circumstances now the celebration with fires was postponed to next year.
The Celt
Well-Known Member
It was Christianity, prior to the Romans influence, seers, medicine men etc were revered and held a status of awe with the people
There's flaws in everything. Too bad.
Yesterday the 30th April the Swedes and most of northern Europe celebrate Valborg, it has its roots in Christianity and in the killing of women suspected of witchcraft were put on crosses in these fires. If they lived the process they were witches...
There are ways of telling if she is a witch...
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