Used Silica as pH up in my rez. Weird thing happened today.

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newbplantgrower420

Well-Known Member
So for the first time today... I bought GH's Armor Silica from the hydro store and used it as a pH up in my rez. I poured little by little ultimately reaching 100ml of it and it only raised my pH up by 0.4 with 100ml of Silica.

Usually I use Dynagro's ProTekt Silica and 100ml raises the pH by like 2.0. So Im very careful with it when raising the pH a few decimal pts. Usually like 25ml does the job.

I went with GH's armor silica this time because I read on the ingredients its 10% concentration vs 7.8% for ProTekt. More bang for my buck.

Anybody know why GH's Armor Silica barely raised my pH? Im curious now. Did I get a bad batch lol

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Gardenator

Gardenator

Well-Known Member
Stealthstyle said:
You dont really need silica and ph raising is one reason i dont use it any more.
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They use it to raise their pH though, silica is great for plants, promotes strong stem growth, resistance to disease and pests, its also a good suppliment of K as well... if i was OP id go back to my dynagro or buy another bottle of armor si and see if it was a bad bottle, also calibrate your pH meter first so you know its not your instrument being out of whack.
 
EvilScotsm@n

EvilScotsm@n

Well-Known Member
Yeah I'm not sure about other brands but I use growth tech scillica and at 0.3ml/L it jumps the ph from 6.7ish to 8.5.
Could as mentioned be a bad bottle or your ph meter.
Should also add scillica to the res first because it reacts with certain things and
turns back into a solid. Ive never understood why it gets advertised as a post mix ph adjuster.
 
Keesje

Keesje

Well-Known Member
Stealthstyle said:
You dont really need silica.
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Silica is perhaps the only additive that almost all growers agree that it does make sense. Commercial growers also use silica. As a foliar feed and in their rez.
There are many scientific papers of what silica does.
I used silica as a foliar feed on my clones and I saw a difference in a side by side test. Not a huge difference, but slightly noticeable.
 
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newbplantgrower420

Well-Known Member
I see. it either precipitated or it was a bad batch I think. I had 2 different pH readers so it couldnt have been reading it wrong.

Last few months Ive been adjusting pH this way instead of the traditional pH up and nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Only difference this time was GH's Silica instead of ProTekt.

Also GH's Silica has this light blue dye color in it which was unusual since all the Silicas Ive used before are clear as water.

Lets see what happens next few days lol
 
TintEastwood

TintEastwood

Well-Known Member
newbplantgrower420 said:
I see. it either precipitated or it was a bad batch I think. I had 2 different pH readers so it couldnt have been reading it wrong.

Last few months Ive been adjusting pH this way instead of the traditional pH up and nothing out of the ordinary is happening. Only difference this time was GH's Silica instead of ProTekt.

Also GH's Silica has this light blue dye color in it which was unusual since all the Silicas Ive used before are clear as water.

Lets see what happens next few days lol
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Also, both silicas include K.
As silica is added the NPK ratio changes.
 
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newbplantgrower420

Well-Known Member
TintEastwood said:
Also, both silicas include K.
As silica is added the NPK ratio changes.
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Ya even potassium hydroxide in pH up is extra K right. In my 70 gal rez.. I was planning to put a small amt like a capfuls worth of Silica to raise it up to my desired pH. That usually raises it up a few decimal pts.

But ended up putting 100mL with the GH Si lol
 
TintEastwood

TintEastwood

Well-Known Member
newbplantgrower420 said:
Ya even potassium hydroxide in pH up is extra K right. In my 70 gal rez.. I was planning to put a small amt like a capfuls worth of Silica to raise it up to my desired pH. That usually raises it up a few decimal pts.

But ended up putting 100mL with the GH Si lol
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Excellent point on the ph up containing K....I have yet to find out approx K ppm per ml.

Thats unusual for sure having to use so much. Hope you get it worked out.
 
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newbplantgrower420

Well-Known Member
ya I usually use their pH up but Silicas more beneficial for the plant. The only silica I give is in MC and Tint said it wasnt much. So I thought Ill hit two birds with one stone and use Silica as a pH up and give some extra Silica to the plant since Megacrop's dose is so little.

Ive been doing this for months with Protekt no problems but it was a fail with GH's Silica lol.
 
TintEastwood

TintEastwood

Well-Known Member
newbplantgrower420 said:
ya I usually use their pH up but Silicas more beneficial for the plant. The only silica I give is in MC and Tint said it wasnt much. So I thought Ill hit two birds with one stone and use Silica as a pH up and give some extra Silica to the plant since Megacrop's dose is so little.

Ive been doing this for months with Protekt no problems but it was a fail with GH's Silica lol.
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My method.
Feed res is 8 gallons. And a mixing res that's 8 gallons.
With a little trial and error, I was able to determe the amount of Armor Si to add to the raw RO water, to end up with my target PH once everything is mixed and EC finalized. With my mix, the PH creeps up over a few days, so I need a lil ph DOWN.
 
NeWcS

NeWcS

Well-Known Member
newbplantgrower420 said:
ya I usually use their pH up but Silicas more beneficial for the plant. The only silica I give is in MC and Tint said it wasnt much. So I thought Ill hit two birds with one stone and use Silica as a pH up and give some extra Silica to the plant since Megacrop's dose is so little.

Ive been doing this for months with Protekt no problems but it was a fail with GH's Silica lol.
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You can make your own for about 1/3 the cost fyi.
 
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newbplantgrower420

Well-Known Member
So i thought of something else with Silica. Lets say I skip a water change for a week. I want to top off with nutes.

Theres exisiting nutes in the rez already. If i pour Silica first before all my other nutes into the existing nutes in the rez....will it precipitate?
 
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