Potassium Silicate to raise pH

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pakist0ned

Well-Known Member
Hey guys,

Been looking for a liquid pH up solution (I'm using soil mix), and all hands point to Potassium Silicate (for my case at least).

Unfortunately, there aren't many products here (I'm not in US) with a good concentration of Potassium Silicate (PS), and it's mostly Potassium Hydroxide (PH) with like 5% PS. Found one with 20% PS but it's quite expensive.

So, been looking further, and found relatively cheap "pure" PS bottles.

Question is, I know most growing pH up solutions have more than PH or PS in the mix. But, is it safe to use this "pure" PS just to correct pH at the end? (and I know I have to dilute it first)

(please see attached image, formula of this one is: 3,45SiO2.K2O)


TL/DR: Is it safe to use pure Potassium Silicate (instead growing pH Up solution) to raise pH?


Sorry for the long words,
Cheers!
 

Attachments

effexxess

effexxess

Well-Known Member
DYNA-GRO'S unique Pro-TeKt® formula is an easy to use liquid concentrate that provides
supplemental potassium (3.7%) and silicon (7.8%).
Click to expand...
Could this give you something to work with? Pro-TeKt is a concentrate used at 5ml/gallon.
 
HydroKid239

HydroKid239

Well-Known Member
pakist0ned said:
Hey guys,

Been looking for a liquid pH up solution (I'm using soil mix), and all hands point to Potassium Silicate (for my case at least).

Unfortunately, there aren't many products here (I'm not in US) with a good concentration of Potassium Silicate (PS), and it's mostly Potassium Hydroxide (PH) with like 5% PS. Found one with 20% PS but it's quite expensive.

So, been looking further, and found relatively cheap "pure" PS bottles.

Question is, I know most growing pH up solutions have more than PH or PS in the mix. But, is it safe to use this "pure" PS just to correct pH at the end? (and I know I have to dilute it first)

(please see attached image, formula of this one is: 3,45SiO2.K2O)


TL/DR: Is it safe to use pure Potassium Silicate (instead growing pH Up solution) to raise pH?


Sorry for the long words,
Cheers!
Click to expand...
I use Athena balance (Potassium silicate) and from their instructions it can be used to raise to desired PH. Recording the amount used initially at the end of mixing nutrients to reach desired ph, then applying that amount BEFORE mixing in base nutrients thereafter.
In other words we raise the PH first, and the nutes will bring it back down.

I'm unsure if any other PS products work the same, or have similar instructions. I lack experience there.
 
P

pakist0ned

Well-Known Member
HydroKid239 said:
I use Athena balance (Potassium silicate) and from their instructions it can be used to raise to desired PH. Recording the amount used initially at the end of mixing nutrients to reach desired ph, then applying that amount BEFORE mixing in base nutrients thereafter.
In other words we raise the PH first, and the nutes will bring it back down.

I'm unsure if any other PS products work the same, or have similar instructions. I lack experience there.
Click to expand...
Yeah I've checked that one, but it's quite expensive as I'll use just as a pH Up. Also it seems to have a low concentration of Potassium Silicate.

Ah yeah, for what I've read, all silicon solutions should be applied before nutrients. Or, if after, you can dilute it first. And make sure you don't mix with anything with more than 7pH.

Thanks for the suggestion and feedback!
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
pakist0ned said:
Hey guys,

Been looking for a liquid pH up solution (I'm using soil mix), and all hands point to Potassium Silicate (for my case at least).

Unfortunately, there aren't many products here (I'm not in US) with a good concentration of Potassium Silicate (PS), and it's mostly Potassium Hydroxide (PH) with like 5% PS. Found one with 20% PS but it's quite expensive.

So, been looking further, and found relatively cheap "pure" PS bottles.

Question is, I know most growing pH up solutions have more than PH or PS in the mix. But, is it safe to use this "pure" PS just to correct pH at the end? (and I know I have to dilute it first)

(please see attached image, formula of this one is: 3,45SiO2.K2O)


TL/DR: Is it safe to use pure Potassium Silicate (instead growing pH Up solution) to raise pH?


Sorry for the long words,
Cheers!
Click to expand...
Awesome find! Check the concentration and dilute to about 10% for easier management.

I use local "wasserglass" potassium silicate at 36%. It's for impregnating concrete, dirt cheap. Agsil 16h is sadly not available in Europe.
 
P

pakist0ned

Well-Known Member
Wastei said:
Awesome find! Check the concentration and dilute to about 10% for easier management.

I use local "wasserglass" potassium silicate at 36%. It's for impregnating concrete, dirt cheap. Agsil 16h is sadly not available in Europe.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I saw a few related to construction, but not sure if they same formulas.. or you actually use it in your plants?

I guess I'll get some liquid one and run some tests :roll: quite diluted at first :razz:
 
P

pakist0ned

Well-Known Member
For the ones interested, I ended up choosing Diatomaceous Earth, which is pretty much Silica (70% SiO2).

Most liquid forms I found were 30% max.

And I don't really need the K Potassium, this way I can raise my pH in early bloom, only with the silica.
 
Wastei

Wastei

Well-Known Member
pakist0ned said:
For the ones interested, I ended up choosing Diatomaceous Earth, which is pretty much Silica (70% SiO2).

Most liquid forms I found were 30% max.

And I don't really need the K Potassium, this way I can raise my pH in early bloom, only with the silica.
Click to expand...
DE contains a lot of heavy metals and I would avoid it at all cost. High in arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd).
 
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pakist0ned

Well-Known Member
Wastei said:
DE contains a lot of heavy metals and I would avoid it at all cost. High in arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd).
Click to expand...
We are probably not talking about the same ones. Here from the one I got:

Carbonato de Calcio (CaCO3): 27,70% ± 0,2%
Óxido de silicio (SiO2): 70,30% ± 2%
Alúmina (Al2O3): 1,11%
Óxido de magnesio (MgO): 0,42%
Trazas entorno al 0,5%

This was actually recommended from 2 good growers that don't even know each other.
 
Billy the Mountain

Billy the Mountain

Well-Known Member
Wastei said:
DE contains a lot of heavy metals and I would avoid it at all cost. High in arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd).
Click to expand...
I had no idea, thanks.
We used it in a lab I worked in for filter medium, heavy metals weren't a concern in that application, but I sure wouldn't want to grow with it.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Factors affecting transfer of the heavy metals arsenic, lead, and cadmium from diatomaceous earth filter aids to alcoholic beverages during laboratory-scale filtration

Filtration methods for alcoholic fermented beverages often use filter aids such as diatomaceous earth (DE), which may contain elevated amounts of the heavy metals arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Here, we evaluated factors affecting transfer ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
 
P

pakist0ned

Well-Known Member
Billy the Mountain said:
I had no idea, thanks.
We used it in a lab I worked in for filter medium, heavy metals weren't a concern in that application, but I sure wouldn't want to grow with it.

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Factors affecting transfer of the heavy metals arsenic, lead, and cadmium from diatomaceous earth filter aids to alcoholic beverages during laboratory-scale filtration

Filtration methods for alcoholic fermented beverages often use filter aids such as diatomaceous earth (DE), which may contain elevated amounts of the heavy metals arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd). Here, we evaluated factors affecting transfer ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Click to expand...
According to the article "it may have".

As far as I read, there are a ton of DE compositions. If you get one specific for agriculture/food grade, it won't have any heavy metals...
 
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R

RobotekB

Active Member
Wastei said:
DE contains a lot of heavy metals and I would avoid it at all cost. High in arsenic (As), lead (Pb), and cadmium (Cd).
Click to expand...
If you have any factual data to back up that statement, I'd like to see it.
Food grade DE does not have heavy metals of significant concentrations in any test I've seen. It's in many things humans consume and is fed to livestock regularly.
 
B

BeauVida

Member
I wouldn't add ksil after nutes. You'll get the silica snotts. Even putting silica in first I run into weird precip problems occasionally. Last time I made magnesium silicate from adding too much Epsom too fast
 
P

pakist0ned

Well-Known Member
BeauVida said:
I wouldn't add ksil after nutes. You'll get the silica snotts. Even putting silica in first I run into weird precip problems occasionally. Last time I made magnesium silicate from adding too much Epsom too fast
Click to expand...
Ksil is used in construction, might not be the best for our plants.

But you have to dilute it first (if you want to add it after all nutrients)
 
Billy the Mountain

Billy the Mountain

Well-Known Member
pakist0ned said:
Ksil is used in construction, might not be the best for our plants.
Click to expand...
That's a non-sequitur: Water is used in construction as well, yet plants seem to like it.
Potassium Silicate (K2SiO3) is widely used in horticulture, it's quite beneficial for plants.

Wikipedia:
In horticulture, potassium silicate is used as a soluble source of potassium and silica. It makes the growing medium more alkaline.

It is also used as a supplement (in conjunction with normal fertilizer) for the numerous benefits that increasing the availability of silicon compounds has. Silicon-containing compounds are valuable to a plant, and serve to support the plant. Stems thicken, the plant becomes more tolerant to drought and resists wilting, and the plant gets larger leaves and fruit (because the stem can support more weight).[3] The thicker cell walls of the plant also provides an added mechanical resistance to sap sucking insects (e.g. spider mite) and various pathogenic fungi (e.g. powdery mildew).
 
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