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Next question when applying dissolved silica, such as protek, that is in a basic solution does the silica solidify and precipitate out?

I'm not doubting that plants use and need silica, I'm just suspicious of the benefit in applying it as a supplement in liquid form.
I have always thrown in various amounts of silica sand into my potting media thinking there must be a good reason for it.

I suspect that orchids get enough silica from the content of the media.
What is the silica content of bark, peat, perlite?
 
Acids will definitely make dissolved silica precipitate out. It's an instantaneous effect. And if you ever allow a metal silicate to dry out and form a glass-like layer, acid will turn it into a much harder, no longer soluble glass.

This is why Dyna-Gro recommends applying Pro-Tek separately from fertilizer, and it offers a different product to raise pH.
 
ALToronto said:
Acids will definitely make dissolved silica precipitate out. It's an instantaneous effect. And if you ever allow a metal silicate to dry out and form a glass-like layer, acid will turn it into a much harder, no longer soluble glass.

This is why Dyna-Gro recommends applying Pro-Tek separately from fertilizer, and it offers a different product to raise pH.
Click to expand...

Thanks.
 
ALToronto said:
Acids will definitely make dissolved silica precipitate out. It's an instantaneous effect. And if you ever allow a metal silicate to dry out and form a glass-like layer, acid will turn it into a much harder, no longer soluble glass.

This is why Dyna-Gro recommends applying Pro-Tek separately from fertilizer, and it offers a different product to raise pH.
Click to expand...
Very interesting! Many thanks!
 
ALToronto said:
Acids will definitely make dissolved silica precipitate out. It's an instantaneous effect. And if you ever allow a metal silicate to dry out and form a glass-like layer, acid will turn it into a much harder, no longer soluble glass.

This is why Dyna-Gro recommends applying Pro-Tek separately from fertilizer, and it offers a different product to raise pH.
Click to expand...

Whether it precipitates or not is also a matter of concentration. When I used to use it and Dyna-Gro "Grow" at equal amounts (approx a teaspoon per gallon) in RO, injecting the Pro-tekt into the solution containing the fertilizer (pH about 3.5) resulted in no precipitation.

As an aside, looking into silicon in Marschner's Mineral Nutrition book, silicon has been established as an essential nutrient in wetland grasses like rice, in sugar cane, and in tomato and cucumber, in the reproductive stage of growth only. No other plants seem to show signs of silicon deficiency.

However, there is some speculation that its deposition in the structural material may actually modulate the production of lignin. It takes 2g of glucose to produce 1g of lignin, and as the energy required to produce "pure" lignin is 20-times greater than that of the same structure containing silicon, that suggests that silicon can reduce the energy consumption related to plant growth. The question, of course, its to what degree.

Based upon my own experience, I see no need to add it, and folks jumping on the silicon bandwagon have been known to overdo it, with miserable results.
 
I've had a pint of pro-tek sitting on my shelf I'm taking it in to exchamge for fertilizer :)
 
ALToronto said:
Certainly not PQ Corporation, the world's biggest producer of soluble silicates.
Click to expand...
Funny you mention PQ. At this very moment, at the data center I work at, on the other side of the wall 20 feet behind me is a PQ Corporation warehouse.
 
PQ = formerly Philadelphia Quartz Corporation, a major player in the silicon chemistry world.

Lance - "miserable results" meaning having no understanding that the very high pH will lead to rapid plant decline, and not putting two-and-two together.
 
Lol.. yeah I repotted a few plants and found silicone balls so I guess my good plant health is a result of good humidity lots of co2 and constant attention. Do you know what causes flower deformation?
 
Ray said:
Lance - "miserable results" meaning having no understanding that the very high pH will lead to rapid plant decline, and not putting two-and-two together.
Click to expand...

Thanks Ray.
That's an important comment.
Even though Silica is common and we tend to think about it as being inert it is not that simple when applied as a plant nutrient.
The method and materials used to get silica into a form that can be "sold" as a retail product seem to be a problem causer and potential for Growers to experience "miserable results".

Because it is basically impossible to see positive results from adding silica I don't think it is a good idea to use it...unless you know what you are doing..... and are willing to accept the possible miserable result.
 
Hemp is a good source as well. I add chopped hemp stems to the media of my potted orchids.
 
ALToronto said:
I use soluble silicates in the production of my mineral composites. ... The alkali component is the carrier for the silicate component.

These are generally referred to as metal silicates and are written as M2O:SiO2, where M is the metal (Na, K or Li). The most important property of metal silicates is the molar ratio of the M2O component to the SiO2 component, i.e. how many molecules of M2O there are for every molecule of SiO2. ...
Most industrial grade metal silicates have molar ratios between 2.0-3.5. These correspond to pH levels of 11-12. ...

...

Which brings us to Pro-Tek, which has a molar ratio of 0.25. This is extremely low, and I don't even know who makes liquid silicates with such low ratios. Certainly not PQ Corporation, the world's biggest producer of soluble silicates. Pro-Tek is also very dilute, with 7% solids. Even so, it's a significant pH booster, so I can only imagine how much industrial liquid silicate will raise the pH. You will also be adding 8-12 times more hydroxide salts for the same amount of SiO2 added as with Pro-Tek.
...
Click to expand...
(Emphasis added is mine)

From what I find on the internet I am having a hard time deciding the exact composition of Pro-Tekt. I found an MSDS that lists it as 24.9% silicic acid potassium salt, specific gravity 1.2. A Product Data Sheet states potassium 3.7%, silicon 7.8% . The Greenhouse Megastore description states K2O 3.7%, SiO2 7.8%. The label states K2O 3.0%, silicon 7.8%

The only way I see to make these numbers somewhat correlate is to assume 3.7% K20 and 7.8% Si (elemental) for the analysis while the solids (24.9% silicic acid potassium salt as stated in the MSDS) is calculated as the mass of K2SiO3 and H2SiO3 (or H4SiO4).

In any event, I have decided to start applying silicic acid perhaps once a week using Pro-Tekt as the silica source. I use 25 ml of Pro-Tekt and 8 grams of KH2PO4 each dissolved separately in about 750 ml of RO water and then the KH2PO4 solution is added to the Pro-tekt solution with rapid stirring. This gives a solution with a pH of about 7.2. This solution is then quickly diluted to 10 gallons with RO water to make the ready to use solution that I water with.
 
David, if you add some diatomeous earth to your water, you will add silicid acid without changing pH. Eiter as a top dress or in the water. I add approximately 10ppm to my water intake and it dissolves before watering. I do not use DE though. My source is microsilica, or silica fume, but that is not so readily available as DE. But with similar properties as silica source.
 

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