It is definitely a bit of that. You can have the same discussions around soil composition, however if it works for you I would never recommend you changing it.
Mirai new nutrition concepts
- Thread starter Rodrigo
- Start date
Wood
Chumono
So I've been taking some glaze chemistry classes and a couple of things started to seem odd while following these discussions.
Anecdotally, here and elsewhere, people are getting great results with adding silica, specifically the stuff from RAW Industries. The picture of the 10/25lb bucket says that it's 45% silicon dioxide, derived from diatomite. Wikipedia says that diatomite/diatomaceous earth, is 80-90% silicon dioxide, plus some impurities. So it seems like the silica supplement is diatomite powder cut 1:1 with a non-reactive ingredient that dissolves into water. No idea what it is
Kaolin is the mineral that makes up clay, and it contains about 45% silicon dioxide
Going off RAW's recommended recipes page, they suggest 1/4 tsp per gallon of water. That means the solution contains an additional 0.56 mL of silica powder per gallon of water [0.25 tsp supplement * (5mL/1 tsp) * (45 parts silicon dioxide/100 parts supplement)]. That's a miniscule amount of silicon dioxide to add as a supplement, especially for an element that's already present in clay.
That doesn't seem to pass the sniff test to me. What am I missing about how well silica works?
Also, slightly off-topic but relevant aside. Ceramic supply shops carry pure silica powder in 50lb bags. My local place sells it for $35 a bag, and they're not even the cheapest. RAW Industries is selling a 25lb bucket of diluted material for $700!
Anecdotally, here and elsewhere, people are getting great results with adding silica, specifically the stuff from RAW Industries. The picture of the 10/25lb bucket says that it's 45% silicon dioxide, derived from diatomite. Wikipedia says that diatomite/diatomaceous earth, is 80-90% silicon dioxide, plus some impurities. So it seems like the silica supplement is diatomite powder cut 1:1 with a non-reactive ingredient that dissolves into water. No idea what it is
Kaolin is the mineral that makes up clay, and it contains about 45% silicon dioxide
Going off RAW's recommended recipes page, they suggest 1/4 tsp per gallon of water. That means the solution contains an additional 0.56 mL of silica powder per gallon of water [0.25 tsp supplement * (5mL/1 tsp) * (45 parts silicon dioxide/100 parts supplement)]. That's a miniscule amount of silicon dioxide to add as a supplement, especially for an element that's already present in clay.
That doesn't seem to pass the sniff test to me. What am I missing about how well silica works?
Also, slightly off-topic but relevant aside. Ceramic supply shops carry pure silica powder in 50lb bags. My local place sells it for $35 a bag, and they're not even the cheapest. RAW Industries is selling a 25lb bucket of diluted material for $700!
Glaucus
Omono
Any soil contains a lot of silicon. That's the main issue with the whole silicon thing. It is literally everywhere by a buckload. About 28% of the earth is silicon, element-wise. But the thing is that we know it is not essential. And it is not incorporated in any biomolecules. Of course the main reason for this is that silicon minerals are highly insoluble. Glass (silicon dioxide aka silica) doesn't dissolve in water.
But plants do produce phytoliths, which are structures made of silica whose function is not well understood. But they are linked to stress tolerance. And in some plant species their dry weight can be really high (like 10%). But we don't even know for sure if the plants form phytoliths as a way to try to get rid of silica, of it they actually serve a very important function.
But plants cannot take up silicon as silica. They take it up as orthosilicic acid or similar soluble forms similar to silica.
Several researchers have put out research that shows that supplementing with a silica source improves plant health or quality or stress resistance or yield. This through strengthening the cell wall. But so far, it seems that farmers don't really need to worry about it. Maybe because plants take care of it themselves. Or maybe because the effect isn't that large. It may be that silicon may one day be listed as an essential plant nutrient.
Of course, slow but very durable healthy growth is often the goal in bonsai. Which means that to bonsai silicon may have an effect that would be relevant to bonsai, but not to say food crops.
So since silica is abundant anyway, there seems no point in adding silica powder. Especially not if it is pricey. They seem to be just ground down diatomaceous earth. It seems that instead you want something like potassium silicate or the forementoned orthosilicic acid. Look into Yara ActiSil.
RAW products look exactly like body building & fitness nutrient products. There, people figured out that you could take a waste product, whey powder, and turn it with marketing into a very exclusive nutrient supplement. Of course once that took off, things got more sophisticated. But it seems these same people then figured out they could take other forms of cheap bulk powders, (ammonium nitrate, silica powder, potassium phosphate), put the same marketing on it, and sell them to cannabis growers. Not saying that these products can't improve your growth. Many of these minerals the plants definitely need. But you can also buy them more cheaply. Problem is though, these are agricultural products sold to farmers. Who buy them in 25kg bags as the smallest volume.
But plants do produce phytoliths, which are structures made of silica whose function is not well understood. But they are linked to stress tolerance. And in some plant species their dry weight can be really high (like 10%). But we don't even know for sure if the plants form phytoliths as a way to try to get rid of silica, of it they actually serve a very important function.
But plants cannot take up silicon as silica. They take it up as orthosilicic acid or similar soluble forms similar to silica.
Several researchers have put out research that shows that supplementing with a silica source improves plant health or quality or stress resistance or yield. This through strengthening the cell wall. But so far, it seems that farmers don't really need to worry about it. Maybe because plants take care of it themselves. Or maybe because the effect isn't that large. It may be that silicon may one day be listed as an essential plant nutrient.
Of course, slow but very durable healthy growth is often the goal in bonsai. Which means that to bonsai silicon may have an effect that would be relevant to bonsai, but not to say food crops.
So since silica is abundant anyway, there seems no point in adding silica powder. Especially not if it is pricey. They seem to be just ground down diatomaceous earth. It seems that instead you want something like potassium silicate or the forementoned orthosilicic acid. Look into Yara ActiSil.
RAW products look exactly like body building & fitness nutrient products. There, people figured out that you could take a waste product, whey powder, and turn it with marketing into a very exclusive nutrient supplement. Of course once that took off, things got more sophisticated. But it seems these same people then figured out they could take other forms of cheap bulk powders, (ammonium nitrate, silica powder, potassium phosphate), put the same marketing on it, and sell them to cannabis growers. Not saying that these products can't improve your growth. Many of these minerals the plants definitely need. But you can also buy them more cheaply. Problem is though, these are agricultural products sold to farmers. Who buy them in 25kg bags as the smallest volume.
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Leo in N E Illinois
The Professor
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Years ago, I used a orthosilicic acid supplement on my 1000+ plant orchid collection. Orchids tend to be epiphytes, not normally in contact with soils. I found a distinct change in leaf characteristics. Harder, more rigid foliage, also foliage was more prone to cracking and breaking if flexed. Blooming and growth rates were not noticeably improved, so I eventually gave up use of the supplement. Now a days my orchid collection is down to less than 150.
So my verdict was the orthosilicic acid was not significant enough response with the orchids to continue use. There is some effect, just not enough for me to feel it was necessary to continue.
So my verdict was the orthosilicic acid was not significant enough response with the orchids to continue use. There is some effect, just not enough for me to feel it was necessary to continue.
leatherback
The Treedeemer
Glad to see there is now proof for the value of kitty litter - diatomous earth- as bonsai substrate
