silica?

[steelyeyes]

I see a few people are using silica additives like Rhino Skin etc. I looked at some of it at the local shop and asked the guys there and never really did get an answer.

What's is supposed to do for the plants? Does it do it? Is the Rhino Skin worth the high price compared to the other brands that seem to be about 50% less?

I've got one strain that is kicking butt on a pretty simple nute mix. I run H&G Aquaflakes, some root excellurator, some drip klear or similar and a good dose of cal mag during veg. I start at a .8 EC for the very first week and then up to 1.2 once the rootlings get rolling after transplant.

I transition from root excellurator to multi zen when flowering starts and slowly bump up my nute levels and add liquid kool bloom to the mix. So far I've been keeping the EC levels at 1.7 but they drift up over the week since the plants are using 7 or 8 gallons a week and seem to concentrate things.

My plants look good and the buds are impressive but you never know if something might do just a bit better for them....enough to justify spending the money. This "hobby" is expensive enough as it is without dumping money in your tanks that doesn't really do anything...and I've seen a lot of products that seem to be just like that.

So any first hand stories of silica making your colas as big as a baby's arm?

 

[motherlode]

silica is supposed to make the plant more resilient to heat stress / low water conditions, help make the plant stems stronger and more resistant to PM.

it is naturally occurring in soil, but absent in hydro mediums

 

[Greenthumbnewb]

what he said

 

[leadsled]

Like stated, Agreed Silica is Good stuff.

Can also bring up the ph of the nutes, so best to mix it and let it sit and make sure the ph is stable.

Silica products:
AN used to have an concentrated product called barricade. I used it and it was good. Was very thick and strong,like a gloopy gel.

Never used the new rhino skin. Appears like AN combined scorpion juice w barricade and diluted the concentration on both of them.

I prefer to examine the ingredients and then choose the most concentrated brand of product. Then I get the most bang for the buck.

Strongest concentration appears to be the agricultural organics silica bloom 53%.

otherwise protek silica (7.8%) or silica blast (2%) are the more economical choices.

I have been using the protek due to higher concentration.

Looking to try the silica bloom after I run out of protekt.

Another option:

I have had excellent results using higromite. Can give your plants a supply of silca. Can be combined with hydroton (or other mediums) or used as a replacement.

I did a waterfarm with higromite and one with hydroton, higromite was killing it.

Check out the higromite website for side by side pics.

 

[motherlode]

^^^

I been wanting to try a rockwool crouton and higromite mix bucket on my little side tray, youve given me more food for thought.

 

[JACKMAYOFFER]

I use Silca when I need to bring my PH up ...Kills 2 birds with one stone..Some thing like that.. LOL ..I have gotten to the point that a rarely use ph up or down..Just let the nutes swing and do there thing...JACK

 

[leadsled]

^^^

I been wanting to try a rockwool crouton and higromite mix bucket on my little side tray, youve given me more food for thought.

good stuff! make sure to wash it real good first.

 

[steelyeyes]

After some more research I ordered the silica bloom. Two things sealed the deal, better resistance to pests (borg...yuck!) and stonger stems to support massive buds....:)

This run is about over so I'll start my next batch of kids on it and go the whole way with it and see what happens.