@Freshone @
Rootbound @
Quantrill
My initial understanding was ch-OSA type silicas are a more bioavailable silica that is more readily available and easier for the plant to use immediately. Knowing what the plant is getting immediately in hydroponics is essential, and typically in a hydro application the fertilizers are set to be used immediately that's why new nutrient reservoirs are made and changed out regularly. I do see the benefit of using both types of silica and making it immediately available for use as well as in the long-term.
I used potassium silicate in a 1% (AN 2ml/L) and 3% (
Cyco 1ml/L) concentration and switched to Vitalize because it is a more bioavailable ch-OSA type silica (They all seem to have an approximate 1% strength with a 1ml/6L rate or 3ml/5gal). I used both types of silica together with the thought that I would get both the long-term and immediate effects. At the time I decreased the potassium silicate to half strength (I didn't want to overdo it) and saw no difference in using the potassium silicate combined with a ch-OSA silicate versus just the ch-OSA alone so I discontinued using the potassium silicate (I notice improved results using the ch-OSA from previous rounds this is why I continued using the more bioavailable silica alone).
Reading more on AgSil and the dosage recommendation of approximately .5ml/L at a roughly 8% concentration I'm guessing that a higher concentration is needed to really see the positive effects when using a potassium silica base mixture, probably why many of these other potassium silicas that come premixed are being outperformed by the more readily available ch-OSA silica.
Since an increase in ch-OSA silica during the stretch phase reduces the stretch and tightens node spacing I'm also wary of overdoing it. However, I will be trying to incorporate AgSil into my feed regiment on some level to see how it does alongside and standalone versus a ch-OSA.
I appreciate the input and want to pick some people brains and hear thoughts and approaches on using multiple types of silica as I feel when done right will have great results.
FYI I am a coco DTW grower who flushes with 1/4 to 1/3 strength nutrients usually every 8-10 days. I don't always flush if the base nutrient mix stays the same ratio but always remember when the base nutrient mix changes ratios.
Also for newer growers, this is something that's somewhat advanced and I'm just tinkering with feeding as my rooms are pretty dialed in and I run a few different strains that I all have decently dialed in as far as feeding schedules go. So this wouldn't be recommended for the newer grower who doesn't have all the other environmental factors and individual strain knowledge for his/her setup nailed down. But for someone who has been doing the same thing for years and is looking to experiment and really pushes their plants to their full potential, it could help.
I'll be glad to share my results when I get more info but in the meantime any input or insightful discussion is more than welcome and much appreciated on the topic.