Organic sources of K

[Budwhyser]

Gotcha...would that eliminate the need to drain and refill until they sprout?

 

[Budwhyser]

Also, in your opinion, is there any transference of enzymes in the "drain water" prior to actual sprouting, making use of that water beneficial?

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Gotcha...would that eliminate the need to drain and refill until they sprout?

Correct - it would have been helpful if I had added that caveat, eh?

LOL

 

[ClackamasCootz]

Also, in your opinion, is there any transference of enzymes in the "drain water" prior to actual sprouting, making use of that water beneficial?

When a seed is created by the mother plant, the shell, husk, etc. is covered with enzymes that are growth inhibitors. This prevents seeds from germinating too soon, i.e. the conditions have to be somewhere approaching optimum in order to fully germinate and begin that process.

Once the seed 'cracks' the endosperm begins destroying the growth inhibiting enzymes and converting others to the ones that facilitate the development of the tap root and other processeses. You can see this for yourself - soak some seeds and drain and now taste the water from that first soak. It's extremely bitter and acrid - very unpleasant. I tried this with alfalfa seeds - won't be doing that again.

So soaking for 24 hours first, drain and then refill with clean water and add the airstone and you'll be fine.

 

[ClackamasCootz]

No, the RDA of potassium listed on the label is 20%. But I know that's meaningless for plants. It's 730mg Potassium per 1tb (22g), so ~ 3%.

20% of what?

Let's say that the Potassium RDA is 100 mg

The serving size on your UBM is 1/2 oz or 1 tb and it states on the label that this is 3% of the RDA from a single serving so you would have 3 mg elemental Potassium

CT Guy mentioned K-MAG which is 18.3% elemental Potassium so 1/2 oz. of K-MAG would give you 9.15 grams elemental Potassium

Or am I missing something?

 

[Oregonism]

I know it's been discussed before, but I find it hard to believe that there isn't an ideal organic solution to increasing K. Here's what I've gathered:

Kelp meal - I have Technaflora Soluble Seaweed 1-1-16. I don't like to use this late in flower as it contains hormones, and I have seen hermies in grows where I've used it.

Unsulfured blackstrap molasses - The kind I have has 3% potassium. That's not much, and when I use it in high doses (1tb / gal), it sometimes results in a strong fungal smell coming from my soil. It also makes the buds smell a bit like hay.

Sulfate of potash - Like Earth Juice Meta-K. It's a mined mineral, so while it may be approved for organic growing, it isn't actually organic. Also contains sulfur, which is less than ideal for an organic grow. I've never used it though, so curious what others have to say.

Wood ashes - Seem like a great choice for organic K until you take the high ph into account. I'm just too scared to use it on an indoor container grow.

Rice Husk Ashes - There is some info online about this being a neutral ph source of K. Sounds perfect for what I'm looking for, except that nobody sells it. I live in a small apartment, so creating my own ashes from scratch is not an option.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

https://www.icmag.com/ic/showthread.php?t=94673
Very first post of the FPE thread, Sophisto threw up a big list long ago. Percentages are overall [K] and not available [K+] which are a bit less. Still come cool examples. Except for the grapefruit the vegie/fruit also have high P.

Cantaloupe Rind ash 12%
Cottonseed Hull ash >23%
Cucumber Skin ash >27%
Grapefruit Skin[peel]ash >30%

 

[koolkush]

So do u have to aerate it ?

 

[koolkush]

Nevermind

 

[pheed]

20% of what?

Let's say that the Potassium RDA is 100 mg

The serving size on your UBM is 1/2 oz or 1 tb and it states on the label that this is 3% of the RDA from a single serving so you would have 3 mg elemental Potassium

I never said anything about 3% RDA. The label says 1tb (22g) provides 780mg, which happens to be 20% of the RDA of potassium for humans, but that number is irrelevant for plants. By weight, 730mg out of 22g comes out to ~3% potassium. Simple math. I'm not sure why you're confused.

 

[Budwhyser]

When a seed is created by the mother plant, the shell, husk, etc. is covered with enzymes that are growth inhibitors. This prevents seeds from germinating too soon, i.e. the conditions have to be somewhere approaching optimum in order to fully germinate and begin that process.

Once the seed 'cracks' the endosperm begins destroying the growth inhibiting enzymes and converting others to the ones that facilitate the development of the tap root and other processeses. You can see this for yourself - soak some seeds and drain and now taste the water from that first soak. It's extremely bitter and acrid - very unpleasant. I tried this with alfalfa seeds - won't be doing that again.

So soaking for 24 hours first, drain and then refill with clean water and add the airstone and you'll be fine.

CC
I appreciate the info. The airstone will be in tomorrow. I'll let you know how it works out.

 

[h.h.]

http://www.bobsredmill.com/black-bean-flour.html
http://www.bobsredmill.com/potato-flour.html

I haven't used potato. Black beans are cheap and easy to grind.
Mesquite bean is also high in K. Acacia perhaps as well.

Let ash water evaporate half way. Other salts will collect on the brim. Use the leftover water. I can't find the recipe this morning. It's somewhere on Google.

 

[Dirtysoil]

Granite meal has about 5% potassium

 

[Granger2]

Earth Juice Hi Brix molasses claims 3% K, and Botanicare Strapped claims 4% [NOT RDA]. -granger