Just a couple nute questions.

[Swim]

Can anyone explain to me precisely what the function of potash is? How essential is it to each phase of growth? I have a vague understanding of it.

Also, does anyone have any experience finishing out with a 0-10-0 bat guano mix? What is your opinion of bat guano's performance? Results?

I've always had somewhat of a feel for what a plant wants, but my thought process is a bit abstract, ha. I've never quite gotten it down to a science.

 

[Seamaiden]

Potash is potassium, in the most basic sense and measure of importance. Plants require nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (N-P-K) for their basic nutritional building blocks, along with about 72 other minerals and elements (trace and micronutrients). K is essential for flowering plants, and to get into the why's and functions of that is beyond what I'm going to delve into here, I'll just point out that it's essential and therefore important.

I haven't finished out with *any* bat guano because it's expensive to use for outside, more expensive than I want to pay. However, it's a fantastic source of P and other nutrients. They're only reporting the P because that's what's required for labeling.

 

[Swim]

Ah, yeah, I have a basic understanding of N,P, and K.. Just not an in depth understanding. I've read about this stuff on and off for years but I'm a bit of a slow learner I'm afraid. Are you saying they're only listing P in a the 0-10-0 mix, but there is also N and K? I was having a hard time believing guano could be free of N myself. Thanks for the reply.

 

[Seamaiden]

If they're not listing N or K, that's because there's so little it's not required to be listed, I believe.

But as far as potash and its role, lots of bags and boxes of fertilizer list potash as *the* source of K. I'll have to reread the Wiki on potash, I think it's just a term for a particular mineral.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potash

EDIT** D'OH! Potash is K, not P! Have corrected my previous post, with no small measure of chagrin.

 

[Swim]

^lol, see I get confused like that too!

 

[Seamaiden]

At least you didn't accuse me of being high. :p

 

[Bannacis]

Potash or potassium.. K is for over all health and disease resistance.
helps to make them less susceptible to damage from the cold, and it helps protect them from excessive moisture loss
during dry spells.potash makes a positive contribution to the soil by balancing other nutrients, especially nitrate, to make sure they are taken-up and used by plants efficiently so avoiding losses which might be harmful.
Potash is a mineral derived from rocks and also... potassium carbonate (K2CO3), which is a strongly alkaline material obtained from wood ashes and used in fertilizers. mainly obsolete...

I believe the 0-10-0 guano is high in phosphorus, so its for the flowering cycle.
There are very many different variations of guanos where the NPK numbers all all over. they can be low and high.
from Bat, sea bird, rabbit, chicken, steer, earthworms, even insects called Frass.
The location(environment) that the guano was extracted and from what animal will determine the ratio of npk.
so diff species of bat will poop out different ratios of nutes. etc. etc.
so we have a large selection to choose from...pick your shit to fit...lol

A caution...when using any guanos, ware a mask. :mask: don't want to breath in any nasties. :dead:
Hope that helps...