This is essential to me. Super strong wood for heavy yields, filtering the soil of toxins/heavy metals, stores nutrients slow release, balances pH, and great source of calcium and iron to name a few.
Soluable silicon in silica also strengthens plants to help deal with heat/heavy wind.
The xelum walls are like a bumpy brick road.
Silica will turn xelum walls into a smooth racetrack surface so water and nutrients can move very fast when the plant calls for it in a snap! Silica is the difference maker.
Bugs have a really hard time bitting through a silicon wall and them through the
cuticle.
Some silicas can have an earth charge of 7.6.
When added to the soil, a potted plant is under the impression itās in the ground with the same earthcharge of 7.6. How sweet is that!
Like I was saying Silica from zeolite is 1 of my favorite soil ammendments.
Itās simple to use and priced within reason.
Yes for hemp fiber production better tensil strenth.
Let me ask and get some data in this.
I donāt know details but will ask to provide some real data. Iām still stoked to this day when I found out about the 2nd barrier over the cuticle. Works really well at preventing PM.
we definitely have good reasurch for heat and drought tolerance in many agronomic crops.
The issue for me is plants in the field, have plenty of Si, in usable forms.
In composted mediaās we have plenty of Si in usable forms
Hydroponic production mixed data is available in the lititure for the need of Si in any form.
Let me address these as a group. Si, may be added to the list of micro- nutrients recognized by the international plant physiology federation. But, it will be the first element added with a range in parts per billion. The proposed ranges is 5 to 50 ppb of Si in 5 predicted forms that are plant usable. There are two exception asked for in the proposed listing, bamboo as yes in ppm and list hydroponic requirements as unknown.
So, Kyle with all do respect in large production grows Si is just not a problem.
Please keep this topic going this is one of the more important topics I have come by along with practical breeding with Mean Gene at the Emerald Cup 18 a few weeks back. I personally know very little about SI and this whole topic has got my mind thinking. I have used SI plenty in the past and for me it made my plants way more pliable and strong, a trait iām usually always looking for.
Thanks
I use it because it makes my plants stronger and easier to manipulate the branches as I choose without damage. I understand where you are coming from with the research stance, however research shows that LEDās and chillers are inefficient in the cannabis setting, and I can totally show the opposite of the research provided on the net. Everyoneās grow conditions are different, therefore results will differ.
LED light work so well, I want to be able to control the spectam. I used HID lights for many many years in comercal production. I would never buy a HID light again.
Chillers can and do work well as long as the dew point is wide enough. I used swamp coolers for 30 years. There where times I wished they worked better. We used steam chillers at the University. High pressure steam to cool a glycol or ammonia. They got ride of the amonnia coolers when I was in school in the 1980ās they worked better than the swamp coolers and the steam was free. We still had some glycol coolers at the main campus into the 1990ās. The chillers where running for 75 years. And only needed a good wash. Never needed a repair. Did have to worry about ammonia leaks. Old growers used to collect ice in the winter to keep there spring and summer flowers cool. Many of the growers donāt install micanichal refrigeration until the 1970ās.
Steam was the best heat I have ever grown with. Warm roots cool tops. Great for cleaning and pasturizing you own mixes. Donāt miss that always got burned. L
Sand is in the soiless mixes I use. I just donāt pay extra.
I have grown bamboo witch definitely needs sand to move into the trunk. But, all the plants we know that use silica are C4 plants. When you do an assay of cannabis you will have more heavy metals, like arsenic than silica. If cannabis uses it itās in parts per billion. Just donāt pay gold prices for water and silica. Look at @ron site for what a great feed looks like. You can find organic equivalent, thatās a personal choice. Just watch for heavy metals. The animal sources of nitrogen concentrate heavy metals and you are stuck with them. I will not feed my family organically fertilezes fruits and vegetables.
When I want pliable branches I do what the Japanese do. Let the plant either wilt a bit or use a hot towel rapped around a branch. Never shape in the morning of a show do it the night before.
Not having enough calcium in your feed can make branches brittle. I always have grafting bands and wax on hand for an occasional crack in stem. Does wonders in all sorts of plants.
You can even chip graft one cultivar of cannabis onto another. You get kind of a weird plant but can be fun. And it fun seeing a plant with five different cultivars of pot. We did this for years. You could create artifical dwarfs by grafting a trunk section in upside-down and leaving the rubber band on to long.
I uses to do two different ivies together for some florist in Kansas City. I learned in school. We grow a stiff wooded tall verity and grafted a needle point verity on top. Instant topiary. A little gowdy for my taste but it was easy money at a slow season.
