Dylan,say once every week or two with trace amounts of boron derived from Twenty
Can you speculate a little for me? If I wanted to hand water my 'maters
Perhaps I should do a titration study with something fast growing likeradish. Find out just what levels are toxic in my conditions.
I realize this mineral is potent and would like some idea of how weak tomake it. We get 40 inches of rain per year, and I am sure significant
Kennethhis
Date: Wed, 2 May 2007 12:37:54 -0400
From: "Dylan Ford" <dford@suffolk.lib.ny.us>
Subject: [NAFEX] Organic Silica Source(Tips for greenhouse)
To: "North American Fruit Explorers" <nafex@lists.ibiblio.org>
Message-ID: <004101c78cd8$b8d61190$826ec344@dylanwmvi3setm>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"
I. Silica - The Forgotten Nutrient(SNIP)
As I understand it from reading many of his (Hugh Lovel's)postings, the farmer
must perform a delicate balancing act to get sufficient silica up into
sufficientlyplants, and any recklessness in this pursuit can lead to tragedy.
Silica is ubiquitous in the environment, but is not
"sequesteredavailable to plants absent trace amounts of boron to increase itsfluidity.
Boron easily rinses from soils where there is insufficient
incarbon" to grip it.(SNIP)
The enlightened grower's conundrum is that naked boron, even
musttiny amounts, can be toxic to the plants and also to ants and other
indispensible insects that perform vital functions in the soil, so it
buffers ofbe used extremely sparingly and always be applied with generous
bind itprotective humates such as humic or fulvic acid, or at very least
wormcasting- or compost-tea (and even added sugar), to temporarily
ifup.industrial
Mr. Lovel further asserts that potassium silicate - an
product manufactured (with trace boron) for use in terra-cotta glazes,
yetmixed with soluble humate could be a valuable form of amorphous fluidsilica
for the grower, but (though it could do no harm, he maintains) is not
Hepermitted for agricultural use under current Organic Standards.
withtherefore offers an alternative home-brewed solution which I tried
bamboo.first-rate results. Mr. Lovel writes,
"Here's a recipe. You can use rice hulls (not bran) or
thisBurn these to ash. The ashes will be rich in potassium silicate. Cook
lyeash at the rate of 2 or 3 kilos to a 20 litre pot [of water] to make a
issolution that will be rich in potassium silicate rather than sodium.Strain
this, and while still simmering add a kilo of diatomaceous earth that
silica.as
finely ground as possible. This will be rich in amorphous fluid
tetrahydrate,Also
add a half cup of soluble boron such as disodium octaborate
potassiumotherwise known as Solubor. Simmer this at least twenty minutes with
stirring, and strain.
You will have a solution that will be fairly rich in
humates]silicate. Add this to your earthworm leachate [or better, soluble
cukes,at a rate of a full cup for every four litres. Water all squash,
andzukes, capsicums, okra and anything else that may be susceptible togetting
too lush, weak, bug-bitten or diseased. For tomatoes double this rate
anduse two cups per four litres. These are all natural materials except
possibly Solubor, which is permissible in most organic certification
programs."
(A Hugh Lovel cautionary note: boron creates sap pressure in plants,
theyoung seedlings do not have a large enough vascular system to handle
somesap
pressures that are beneficial in their later growth. Get plants up and
running before being too generous with boron.)
(SNIP)
Hugh Lovel has a great many more informed insights andconsidered
opinions to share with open-minded growers, some of which I "get" and
sites.of which I don't (yet), but the silica - boron - humate trinity is onethat
added an important new preventive concept to my plant-health andprotection
toolbox.
--
_______________________________________________
Surf the Web in a faster, safer and easier way:
Download Opera 9 at http://www.opera.com
Powered by Outblaze
_______________________________________________
nafex mailing list
nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Reproduction of list messages or archives is not allowed.
This includes distribution on other email lists or reproduction on web
Permission to reproduce is NEVER granted, so don't claim you havepermission!
**YOU MUST BE SUBSCRIBED TO POST!**used to change other email options):
Posts from email addresses that are not subscribed are discarded.
No exceptions.
----
To subscribe or unsubscribe, go to the bottom of this page (also can be
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/nafexPM
File attachments are NOT stripped by this list.
TAKE STEPS TO PROTECT YOURSELF FROM COMPUTER VIRUSES!
Please do not send binary files.
Use plain text ONLY in emails!
NAFEX web site: http://www.nafex.org/
--
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.6.2/785 - Release Date: 5/2/07 2:16
Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.