Calcium silicate (wollastonite) in soilless crops
Silicon in media is not a magic switch. In soilless systems it can help, it can do nothing, and at the wrong rate or pH it can hurt. Calcium silicate…
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Exogenous Root Applications of Wetting Agents in Soilless Media
Introduction Dry peat, coir, rockwool or bark mixes can become water repellent, which creates uneven moisture and nutrient delivery around roots. Wetting agents reduce surface tension and restore wettability by…
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Root-applied auxins in hydroponics: where they help, where they don’t
Introduction Auxins can modulate root architecture, fruiting and stress responses. In hydroponic and substrate soilless systems, exogenous root-zone applications at very low ppm sometimes boost yield or quality. Push the…
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How to easily lower the costs of your Athena nutrient regime
You can make your Athena schedule much cheaper by replacing the pH up products with simple raw salts. Branded pH management and buffering products like Athena Balance and Athena Pro…
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Chitosan in hydroponic and soilless crops: what actually works
In hydroponic and substrate systems chitosan can help, but only inside fairly narrow windows of dose, molecular traits, and crop context. Here is what the strongest hydroponic and soilless evidence…
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Iodine in Hydroponic Crops: An Emerging Biostimulant
Introduction Iodine sits in a weird spot in plant nutrition. It is essential for humans, not officially essential for higher plants, yet low, well chosen doses often push crops to…
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Cobalt in hydroponics as a biostimulant
People ask about dosing cobalt in recirculating systems to “stimulate” growth or flowering. For the crops that matter in hydroponics and soilless culture, peer-reviewed work does not show reliable growth…
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Common questions about silicon in nutrient solutions
Introduction We know that silicon can be a very beneficial element for many plant species (see some of my previous posts here and here). It mainly enhances disease resistance and…
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A cost analysis of fertilizers for hydroponic/soilless growing in 2022
Why fertilizer costs matter Fertilizer can be one of the largest expenses of a hydroponic growing facility. This is especially true when boutique fertilizers are used, instead of large scale…
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How to reuse your coco coir in soilless growing
Why reuse media Buying new media and spending labor to mix, expand, and even amend it can be a costly process for growing facilities. Dumping media also involves going through…
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