Potassium silicate and monosilicic acid

[LEDhead]

Is it possible to use a monosilicic acid (PowerSi) and use the potassium silicate (Athena Balance) as the PH up buffer?
I’ve spoke with the guys at Athena and this is what they said:

ATHENA: We recommend using Power Si as a foiler feed only. If you are using RO then you can use Balance as a ph up. Here is the protocol.
Using Balance
We made Balance to Balance PH. This is not just a PH up it also acts as a buffer for Revers Osmosis water. If you are not using R/O then there is really no need to use Balance. Tap water has buffering capacity and will hold a stable PH once you mix nutrients. Here is the protocol on how to use Balance.
- Use as a PH up do not use recommended dosages on the bottle.
- Use when using R/O
- Use Before or After Cleanse, Cleanse is PH neutral so it doesn’t matter which you use first.
Batch tank mixing protocol Finding the right PH First time mixing.
1. Mix Cleanse, Core, Grow to your desired EC value.
2. Measure how much Balance you need to use to get to your desired PH.
3. Write it down. ( It will be between 1 to 6 mls per gallon depending on EC value)
4. Next time add Balance first at the ML you wrote down.
5. Your formulation will be PH stable.

 

[TripsRabbit]

It should work if you give them everything else they want.

 

[mikeross]

That's interesting that they say Power SI should be used as a foliar feed only.

 

[LEDhead]

I’m already using PowerSi and Stack together as a foliar feed but using RO the PowerSi really drops that PH and I have to dilute the GH Up a lot to get no precipitation (clouds)
PowerSi recommendation was to use Advanced Nutrients PH Up

 

[cottageman]

You can definitely use both in a res, I use power si and used a potassium silicate product as well. After I add the power si I let it “bond” with the water for about 5 minutes and then add my nutrients. I don’t really get the ph drop like other people say and maybe that might be why? I use power si and Athena blended and I barley have to adjust my ph and it remains pretty stable. There’s also benefits for silicic acid that I don’t think potassium silicate can do, especially when foliar feeding

 

[AlexGrowns]

Is it possible to use a monosilicic acid (PowerSi) and use the potassium silicate (Athena Balance) as the PH up buffer?
I’ve spoke with the guys at Athena and this is what they said:

ATHENA: We recommend using Power Si as a foiler feed only. If you are using RO then you can use Balance as a ph up. Here is the protocol.
Using Balance
We made Balance to Balance PH. This is not just a PH up it also acts as a buffer for Revers Osmosis water. If you are not using R/O then there is really no need to use Balance. Tap water has buffering capacity and will hold a stable PH once you mix nutrients. Here is the protocol on how to use Balance.
- Use as a PH up do not use recommended dosages on the bottle.
- Use when using R/O
- Use Before or After Cleanse, Cleanse is PH neutral so it doesn’t matter which you use first.
Batch tank mixing protocol Finding the right PH First time mixing.
1. Mix Cleanse, Core, Grow to your desired EC value.
2. Measure how much Balance you need to use to get to your desired PH.
3. Write it down. ( It will be between 1 to 6 mls per gallon depending on EC value)
4. Next time add Balance first at the ML you wrote down.
5. Your formulation will be PH stable.

If the only thing basic you add to RO is silica, after the plants eat it the PH might drop to RO +nutes which is like 4.8-5 PH in my room pretty fast. Have you considerted potassium bicarbonate? or even sodium bicarbonate i think baking soda only adds like 10 ppms of salt for what i needed but i add potassium silicate and a little potassium bicarb and dose it with that. I mean silicaq might work for ya if you dont get quick drops like that if its working dont fix it lol just the path i went down.

 

[ic0dex]

You can definitely use both in a res, I use power si and used a potassium silicate product as well. After I add the power si I let it “bond” with the water for about 5 minutes and then add my nutrients. I don’t really get the ph drop like other people say and maybe that might be why? I use power si and Athena blended and I barley have to adjust my ph and it remains pretty stable. There’s also benefits for silicic acid that I don’t think potassium silicate can do, especially when foliar feeding

I use RO and my AC return water, then add power Si wait a few minutes then add Athena Balance fallowed but cleans and everything else. My PH normally lads around 5.9-6.1 so then I adjust it. I also user power SI bloom as foiler with stack.

 

[cottageman]

I use RO and my AC return water, then add power Si wait a few minutes then add Athena Balance fallowed but cleans and everything else. My PH normally lads around 5.9-6.1 so then I adjust it. I also user power SI bloom as foiler with stack.

Foliar spraying my early flower and veg with power si and camg has been one of the best things I’ve done for my plants in a long time

 

[mikeross]

What differences have you notice when foliar spraying power SI... I heard it keeps the nodes real tight.

 

[cottageman]

What differences have you notice when foliar spraying power SI... I heard it keeps the nodes real tight.

And just overall plant health, pest resistance, pm resistance silica does wonders honestly

 

[mikeross]

And just overall plant health, pest resistance, pm resistance silica does wonders honestly

How often are you spraying in veg and early flower? How much PowerSi per gallon do you use in a foliar spray and do you PH the spray?

 

[Dankgardens313]

I’m already using PowerSi and Stack together as a foliar feed but using RO the PowerSi really drops that PH and I have to dilute the GH Up a lot to get no precipitation (clouds)
PowerSi recommendation was to use Advanced Nutrients PH Up

How did you like the power si & stack combo ? I’m running drip irrigation so power-si in the Rez is out of the picture. Also , if any of you guys run drip what sugars do you guys recommend ?