Why You Should Use Potassium Silicate.
Many benefits can be gained by using a good Potassium Silicate product in your feeding program. Increased tolerance of environmental stress, heat, cold, drought, water and soil toxicity or deficiency, improved growth rate both in the root zone and in the plant it foliage. By using Potassium Silicate with clones can increase the rate of roots kicked by as much as 80%.
Potassium Silicate is a natural fungicide, it helps build the plants defense from attacks by insects, fungi. Potassium Silicate helps the plant growth by depositing it self epidermal cell walls, enhancing the plant's ability to keep the leaves pointed towards the light source. It also increases the stem strength, making it easier to hold up more weight. As the plant builds it self up with Potassium Silicate, it helps with balancing nutrient uptake and distribution, and increased concentration of chlorophyll and RUBP carboxylase in leaves. (AKA the Calvin cycle)
How Potassium Silicate Increases Resistance to Pathogens
Potassium Silicate is impregnated in the epidermal cell layer acting as a barrier against penetration of fungal attacks from powdery mildew, black spots, pythium and phytophthora and many more fugal problems. Silicate also increase the mechanical strength of the plant to help it in extreme heat and cold swings, salt build up in soils or increased TDS in water, and controls the rate of transpiration of plants.
Potassium Silicate plays an active role in combating fungal growth by the production of polyphenolic compounds, this is a main part of the plants natural defense against fugal and insect attacks.
The plants leaf system will rapidly bound potassium Silicate in the tissue and cell walls with in 24 hours of uptake. Therefore a continuous source of Silicate is very important. When silicate uptake by the plant it will start with the older growth and work is way into the newer growth to help build up the mechanical strength of the plant.
When adding Silicate to a foliage spray program, it will help lower the rate of disease attack and helps protect the plants new leafs from spider mites, aphids, and many other sucking type insects.
How Potassium Silicate Increases the Metabolic Rate of Plants
It has been shown that silicate improves resistance to wilt, resistance to water stress, can help fight heat stress up too 105 deg F. If your plant has excessive transpiration, the plant will cease it metabolic function and stunted or no growth will occur.
Use if silicates in cloning or new seedlings helps speed up the rate of growth by as much as 90% (University of Florida and Minnesota). Also the study showed that 18% top 80% increase of dry weight of fruit and herbs.
It also increases reproductive rate in plants (Bud Growth). Increases tolerance of Zinc deficiencies, excessive phosphorus, manganese, sodium and aluminum toxicity.
My favorite is Dyna-Gro's Pro-Tek it is the most refined and concentrated there is on the market. 5 ML per gallon to start and 1ML per gallon add back with top off water.
EPA- Potassium silicate is the potassium salt of silicic acid, and, in formulation, is readily absorbed by the plant. Silicon comprises 32% of the Earths crust, and silicic acid salts (silicates) are the most common form of silicon. Consequently exposure to silicates is widespread in activities involving contact with soil and natural water. The other part of the chemical, potassium is a required element for survival of both plants and animals, as is silicon.
Potassium silicate is an active ingredient to be used as a fungicide, insecticide and miticide. Potassium silicate will be used as a broad spectrum, preventative fungicide with optimum control obtained when used under a scheduled preventative spray program. Potassium silicate also provides suppression of mites, whiteflies, and other insects. It is approved for use on agricultural crops, fruits, nuts, vines, turf and ornamentals.
Most common used in hydro is Potassium Silicate.
REFERENCES
1. Marschner, H., Mineral Nutrition of Higher Plants, Academic Press, 1995, pp. 417-426,440-442.
2. Datnoff, L.E., et al., Influence of Silicon Fertilizer Grades on Blast and Brown Spot
Development and on Rice Yields, Plant Disease, October 1992, pp. 1011-1013.
3. Miyake, Y. and E. Takahashi, Effect of Silicon on the Growth of Cucumber Plant in Soil
Culture, Soil Sci. Plant Nutr., 29 (4), 1983, pp. 463-471.
4. Miyake, Y. and E. Takahashi, Effect of Silicon on the Growth and Fruit Production of
Strawberry Plants in a Solution Culture, Soil Sci. Plant Nutr., 32 (2), 1986, pp. 321-326.
5. Miyake, Y. and E. Takahashi, Silicon Deficiency of Tomato Plant, Soil Sci. Plant Nutr.,
24, 1978, pp. 175-189.
6. Schmidt, R.E., et al., Response of Photosynthesis and Superoxide Dismutase to Silica
Applied to Creeping Bentgrass Grown Under Two Fertility Levels, J. Plant Nutrition, 22
(11), 1999, pp. 1763-1773.
7. Posters presented at Silicon in Agriculture Conference, Sept. 26-30, 1999, Ft.
Lauderdale, FL. Effects of Silicon on the Seedling Growth of Creeping Bentgrass and
Zoysiagrass, by Z. Linjuan et al., China Agricultural University; Influence of Silicon and
Host Plant Resistance on Gray Leaf Spot Development in St. Augustinegrass, by L.E.
Datnoff and R.T. Nagata, University of Florida.
8. Chen, J., et al., Lets Put the Si Back into Soil, University of Florida, Mid-Florida
Research and Education Center, Apopka, FL.
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