Attention! This video is awesome because it tells and shows you exactly how to add and mix it.. not like other video's showing off and making it look more complicated then it really is..Thank You for keeping it real!!
Allowing tap water to stand to remove chlorine is pointless because chloramine which is dangerous is not removed by doing this. Chlorine is beneficial to plants at low doses, and they can even tolerate fairly high ppms of it with no ill effect, whereas chloramine is harmful but plants can still tolerate some of it. If you have high chloramine and chlorine, you have to use RO water. If its only high chlorine, you can ignore it. The reason this holds true is because hydro growers add hypochlorous acid (from diluted calcium hypochloride) to reservoirs, and plants need chlorine to thrive or they will end up with chlorosis and wilting.
I always get issues with my plants when I leave my water to stand for 24 hours thehbdont like it and using straight tap water then ph it has given me the best results so I agree with you totally
Great video. I understand the need of ph7 water BEFORE adding silicon. But why do you adjust the PH back to 7 AFTER adding silicon? Thanks for educating
Adjusting the pH after adding Silicon back to 7.0 is mainly a sensible pre-caution. Bringing the pH value back to neutral guarantees anything you add after Silicon won't cause a reaction and mixes into the feed as intended.
Right but what about in a DWC system. We want to maintain a specific Si PPM and therefore we have to add it every week or month. This video states not to add it to water with nutrients first...Can we mix separately and lower the PH to then add to the system weekly, monthly etc.
I gather my required water, use a 1 liter container to remove 1 liter of water, mix my silicon into that liter by itself, mix my nutes into the bulk water then slowly stir the diluted silicon into the mix, finally I adjust the ph. No fog up, lock out or crystallization so far. (PRO-Silicate)
If the pH of your water is below 7.0 to begin with then you're fine. No need to keep adding until you reach 7.0. We only adjust the pH at the start if it's over 7.0 to reduce the chances of a bad reaction occurring. Then once all of your nutrients are added, pH at the very end to get the mixture to the pH you'd like for your plants. In some cases the pH after adding all the nutrients will be at the level you like, so in that circumstance no need to pH adjust further. Though remember to only adjust pH in one direction either up or down, so keep track of how your nutrients effect your solution. Hope this clears things up a little.
I’m really glad there’s videos showing that you MUST ph down prior to adding nutes after si is added. Also, do not use silicon on reservoir top ups. Fresh res only
I agree and I never do it, also since silica acts as a PH up can you add more at the very end of mixing to achieive your desired ph if it's too low which is common with salt based nutes? Lot's of ph up products have potassuim silcate..
Silicon like most elements is harmful to humans in high doses, but humans do use trace amounts of Silicon in our bones, to produce collagen which is used to give them structure and strength. We take in these trace amounts of Silicon through our diet. Plants use Silicon in a similar manner, they use it to strengthen their cell walls helping the plant remain strong and stand, it also helps the plant become more resilient to temperature changes and disease. But by the same token if you didn't dilute your Silicon when adding and poured the whole bottle on your plant, it wouldn't be happy and likely die.
This advice is probably to give time for the water to mix with the silicon and ensure they're mixed thoroughly, but a stir and few minutes wait would accomplish the same thing.
If everything is pH'd correctly then the order the nutrients are added after Silicon shouldn't matter. If you're checking your pH between each step and still getting crystallisation then double check the pH probe is calibrated and functioning correctly. People often advise to add PK additives and flowering boosters before base nutrients, but this is done so people don't exceed the EC/CF level they are looking for in their feed. It won't cause a crystallisation reaction.
Is there a reason to put the ph down to 7 before i add tue silica? will it not work otherwise ? and what if my nutrient solution later on makes the ph go to low... i can't bring it up anymore because i added ph down already or ?
It's just to ensure that the water is neutral when adding the Silicon. If you had very alkali water then the Silicon could react in a similar way to when it's added with nutrients. Always make sure you only gradually add any pH adjusters so you don't go too far over where you want your pH to be. Nutrients tend to be more alkali on the whole so in general they will raise your pH which is why we adjust using a pH down in the video.
Hi I can't seem to find any answers on silica used as a foliar spray 😕, great video btw. My question is what ph should I be at when using silica water mix for foliar spray?
Sorry we didn't see your question because we don't get notified about comments in reply chains. The answer to your question is to aim for a pH of 7 just like in the video when we create a solution for feeding.
Not exactly best mixing practice 🙄 mix silica first, let it stand to form better bonds, then add nutrient part B first, then part A, then add any supplements and finally adjust ph! Check ec ✅✅
The order you add your A+B nutrients doesn't really matter. We'd add our PK additives and boosters before the base nutrients though so you can take an EC reading. This way round you don't have to reduce the amount of additives to compensate for a high EC value. We agree though adjust pH last.
@@growell there are more than one way of doing it! I measure ec first (in water) to get a starting point .. mix in everything .. then adjust ph .. take final etc reading (subtract first ec reading to get total added ec/ppm). Saying all of this I know of a very large nutrient company that basically suggest part A, then B and then silica .. no problem! For me it’s definitely silica first and then leave it alone to form those bonds .. then everything else. Happy growing 💚💚
This is absolutely wrong. Start with silicate first But ph after you’ve added silicate,your base and additives. Ph should be the very last thing you do.
As we've said in the video if your water is pH 7.0 (or lower) to start with, you don't have to adjust it down, plus our end step is to pH the mixture to the optimum pH for plants. If the pH of the water is too high to begin with (hardwater) then the Silicon can react badly like it does in this video.
@@growell ok . Got ya. Let me ask you this. Was the water on a softener. Cuz then yea silicate might react with it then. But again my water is close to some of the worst in the country. Roseville Michigan.
@@timpage5021 I've heard that stirring is very important too... you want to stir your water up really good and let it rest for 10-15 mins then add your nutrients next.
I would have to agree with Tim Page on this. Your method needs to be explained a little better because not all nutrient solutions are the same. most are almost identical but there are some that are different as well. if you have a nutrient solution that does not lower the ph like you thought it would you would be causing someone to lock their plants out. I'm not saying this to argue I've just seen in real time how some solutions work ph your solution last is best. thanks for the effort on your video though. 👍
I've heard that stirring is very important too... you want to stir your water up really good and let it rest for 10-15 mins then add your nutrients next.
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Attention! This video is awesome because it tells and shows you exactly how to add and mix it.. not like other video's showing off and making it look more complicated then it really is..Thank You for keeping it real!!
Allowing tap water to stand to remove chlorine is pointless because chloramine which is dangerous is not removed by doing this. Chlorine is beneficial to plants at low doses, and they can even tolerate fairly high ppms of it with no ill effect, whereas chloramine is harmful but plants can still tolerate some of it. If you have high chloramine and chlorine, you have to use RO water. If its only high chlorine, you can ignore it.
The reason this holds true is because hydro growers add hypochlorous acid (from diluted calcium hypochloride) to reservoirs, and plants need chlorine to thrive or they will end up with chlorosis and wilting.
I always get issues with my plants when I leave my water to stand for 24 hours thehbdont like it and using straight tap water then ph it has given me the best results so I agree with you totally
Great video.
I understand the need of ph7 water BEFORE adding silicon.
But why do you adjust the PH back to 7 AFTER adding silicon?
Thanks for educating
Adjusting the pH after adding Silicon back to 7.0 is mainly a sensible pre-caution.
Bringing the pH value back to neutral guarantees anything you add after Silicon won't cause a reaction and mixes into the feed as intended.
Right but what about in a DWC system. We want to maintain a specific Si PPM and therefore we have to add it every week or month. This video states not to add it to water with nutrients first...Can we mix separately and lower the PH to then add to the system weekly, monthly etc.
Thank you for this, it's the first video I've found that describes the correct method of adding silicon. Please keep the videos coming :)
Glad it was helpful!
I gather my required water, use a 1 liter container to remove 1 liter of water, mix my silicon into that liter by itself, mix my nutes into the bulk water then slowly stir the diluted silicon into the mix, finally I adjust the ph. No fog up, lock out or crystallization so far. (PRO-Silicate)
Great information
Glad it was helpful!
Hi can I drink liquid silicon
If yes how do that
Don't do that. Do not drink liquid silicon.
@@growell I already did it because of this video.... aghgh... I feel... elemental
What if my water ph is already low? Like in the 4.8-5 range. Would I add silica or silicon to my water until I get a ph of 7?
If the pH of your water is below 7.0 to begin with then you're fine. No need to keep adding until you reach 7.0. We only adjust the pH at the start if it's over 7.0 to reduce the chances of a bad reaction occurring.
Then once all of your nutrients are added, pH at the very end to get the mixture to the pH you'd like for your plants. In some cases the pH after adding all the nutrients will be at the level you like, so in that circumstance no need to pH adjust further.
Though remember to only adjust pH in one direction either up or down, so keep track of how your nutrients effect your solution. Hope this clears things up a little.
I’m really glad there’s videos showing that you MUST ph down prior to adding nutes after si is added. Also, do not use silicon on reservoir top ups. Fresh res only
Yes, if you're frequently changing tanks, always best to use Silicon in a fresh reservoir.
Possible to go half strength on top ups?
@@roboquaid I found that it fools up. Even pre diluted, water starts to cloud up which means that it bonding to other elements
@@patrickgagne8795 so even if you premix it with say 5 litres it still gets lumpy
@@roboquaid yes, you won’t see it as much but it’s happening. That’s my experience anyway
What happens if you skip the ph part after adding the silicon? I don’t like changing the ph twice as it messes with the PPM’s
I agree and I never do it, also since silica acts as a PH up can you add more at the very end of mixing to achieive your desired ph if it's too low which is common with salt based nutes? Lot's of ph up products have potassuim silcate..
Thanks, I find step 4, ph after silicon is the most important. Add si first then ph, you can add whatever.
I've never ph'd to 7.0 after adding the liquid silica right before adding nutes??
If adding cal mag ....do you add that after the silicon but before the base nutrients.
We would add Cal-Mag after base nutrients.
@@growell what's the reasoning for this? Is there a higher risk for precipitates if done before base nutrients vs not?
But monosilicic acid is acid...at a pH of 3... Does this change anything?
Do I add it first or last ? Because I'm using other nutrients
except nutrition,... Does this order also apply when adding pesticides or fungicides?
very helpful thank you!!!!❤
Glad it was helpful!
If silicone is toxic to humans, how is it good for plants? This makes no sense.
Silicon like most elements is harmful to humans in high doses, but humans do use trace amounts of Silicon in our bones, to produce collagen which is used to give them structure and strength. We take in these trace amounts of Silicon through our diet.
Plants use Silicon in a similar manner, they use it to strengthen their cell walls helping the plant remain strong and stand, it also helps the plant become more resilient to temperature changes and disease.
But by the same token if you didn't dilute your Silicon when adding and poured the whole bottle on your plant, it wouldn't be happy and likely die.
Can I use dry nutrients with silicon?
Nice video, thank you ! Is silicon the same as silicate ?
Thank you for this!!!!
Ive always heard to let the water sit for an hour after adding the silica and before any other nutes.
This advice is probably to give time for the water to mix with the silicon and ensure they're mixed thoroughly, but a stir and few minutes wait would accomplish the same thing.
Still crystalized order the newt go in matters as well
If everything is pH'd correctly then the order the nutrients are added after Silicon shouldn't matter. If you're checking your pH between each step and still getting crystallisation then double check the pH probe is calibrated and functioning correctly.
People often advise to add PK additives and flowering boosters before base nutrients, but this is done so people don't exceed the EC/CF level they are looking for in their feed. It won't cause a crystallisation reaction.
Excellent! Thanks for the information.
Glad it was helpful!
Is there a reason to put the ph down to 7 before i add tue silica? will it not work otherwise ? and what if my nutrient solution later on makes the ph go to low... i can't bring it up anymore because i added ph down already or ?
It's just to ensure that the water is neutral when adding the Silicon.
If you had very alkali water then the Silicon could react in a similar way to when it's added with nutrients.
Always make sure you only gradually add any pH adjusters so you don't go too far over where you want your pH to be. Nutrients tend to be more alkali on the whole so in general they will raise your pH which is why we adjust using a pH down in the video.
@@growell okay understand thank you for your awnser !
Hi I can't seem to find any answers on silica used as a foliar spray 😕, great video btw. My question is what ph should I be at when using silica water mix for foliar spray?
@@jonn40853 I also need that cause I want to folair feed my plants
Sorry we didn't see your question because we don't get notified about comments in reply chains.
The answer to your question is to aim for a pH of 7 just like in the video when we create a solution for feeding.
Not exactly best mixing practice 🙄 mix silica first, let it stand to form better bonds, then add nutrient part B first, then part A, then add any supplements and finally adjust ph! Check ec ✅✅
The order you add your A+B nutrients doesn't really matter.
We'd add our PK additives and boosters before the base nutrients though so you can take an EC reading. This way round you don't have to reduce the amount of additives to compensate for a high EC value. We agree though adjust pH last.
@@growell there are more than one way of doing it! I measure ec first (in water) to get a starting point .. mix in everything .. then adjust ph .. take final etc reading (subtract first ec reading to get total added ec/ppm). Saying all of this I know of a very large nutrient company that basically suggest part A, then B and then silica .. no problem! For me it’s definitely silica first and then leave it alone to form those bonds .. then everything else. Happy growing 💚💚
@@growell rereading your comment it makes sense to do that if you are aiming for a tighter possibly lower ec 💯
@@growellis this the right order please silica,pk,enzyme,roots,
Cal mag,boost active,dragon force then coco a+b
This is absolutely wrong.
Start with silicate first
But ph after you’ve added silicate,your base and additives. Ph should be the very last thing you do.
As we've said in the video if your water is pH 7.0 (or lower) to start with, you don't have to adjust it down, plus our end step is to pH the mixture to the optimum pH for plants. If the pH of the water is too high to begin with (hardwater) then the Silicon can react badly like it does in this video.
@@growell ok . Got ya. Let me ask you this. Was the water on a softener. Cuz then yea silicate might react with it then. But again my water is close to some of the worst in the country. Roseville Michigan.
@@timpage5021 I've heard that stirring is very important too... you want to stir your water up really good and let it rest for 10-15 mins then add your nutrients next.
@@Mikelitoris666 absolutely
I would have to agree with Tim Page on this. Your method needs to be explained a little better because not all nutrient solutions are the same. most are almost identical but there are some that are different as well. if you have a nutrient solution that does not lower the ph like you thought it would you would be causing someone to lock their plants out. I'm not saying this to argue I've just seen in real time how some solutions work ph your solution last is best. thanks for the effort on your video though. 👍
I've heard that stirring is very important too... you want to stir your water up really good and let it rest for 10-15 mins then add your nutrients next.
Exactly, stirring is helpful too. That's why we recommend a water pump, keeps the solution moving.