Okay, I did the math for the Masterblend 15-10-30 -- dilution is 1.8 grams per gallon of water. Now here's the nutrient breakdown: 11.03% Nitrate N -- 0.20 g/53 ppm 3.97% Ammonium N -- 0.07 g/18 ppm Total N = 15% -- 0.27 g/71 ppm 4.36% elemental P -- 0.08 g/21 ppm 24.9% elemental K -- 0.45 g/119 ppm...

The Masterblend Pot Mum Formula appears to be the most promising, although I'll have to dig into it more before I come to any conclusions. The only problem we have with dry water-soluble fertilizers is that they need to be diluted by weight, not volume. For example, a teaspoon of fertilizer won't ha...

One must do trial and error experimentation on our own to see what works with one's particulars. Frustrating and very trying but that's the way it goes. Take measurements and make notes. Don't mean to toot my own horn, but my powers of observation are keen, and I used to put some of them to work wh...

I do have a question about lighting after cutting. Should the base and top be in full light or do they need more muted lighting to recover while callusing over? Also would a glass container for the top that allows more light be better or an opaque container be best? Hi Deejay, If you're talking abo...

I did stumble on this literature discussing citric acid, calcium and phosphate. I'll see your study and raise you this study: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969723023136 Both studies have absolutely no relevance to growing cacti in pots. All I can tell you is that a year...

I may be chasing down a rabbit hole here, so let's try this another way... When hoopgod32 said that calcium acetate is an effective phosphate binder, I'll take his word for it. Question -- is white vinegar a good choice for acidifying hard water? When calcium acetate from the acidified water reacts ...

Even if the K3PO4 remains unchanged in the above equation, it needs to be indicated on the right hand side of the equation. As it is not, I'd say the equation is incomplete and unbalanced. Something's not right about it. The red flag saying "some elements only exist on one side of the reaction...

Before we make assumptions about calcium acetate as a phosphate binder, we'll go through some of the ingredients in the General Hydroponics FloraBloom 0-5-4 I use. They are: Magnesium phosphate -- Mg3(PO4)2 Phosphoric acid -- H3PO4 Potassium phosphate -- K3PO4 The chemical formula for acetic acid is...

You should ignore it. In horticulture, there only seems to be a small problem with some clays (but not all) making some of the P unavailable. The answer in that case is to simply increase the P. In soilless mixes there are no problems that I know of with P becoming unavailable. In fact it is highly...

Hello, I’ve had this cactus for about 8 years. I don’t know what kind it is. But for the 8 years I’ve had it, it has been in the same south facing window with the same care routine. I water a little once a week in spring/summer and once every two weeks in the winter. Recently it has started to disc...

This just in... Here's what Mike has to say regarding calcium: Ca is the most abundant element in soil next to silicon. As long as Ca is not in the form of Calcium carbonate and raise pH too high, it does nothing to interfere with other nutrients. Some cacti (and other plants) grow on pure limestone...

Per our last convo on a different thread about calcium binding, I did learn recently (thanks to a chemist friend) that calcium does indeed bind with phosphate. Calcium acetate (acidifying with vinegar) is the most effective at this due to its high solubility. What are the implications of calcium ac...

This is my 60% pumice-40% granite gravel mix: Pumice-DG_rinsed04242016_forum.jpg Grain sizes range from 1 mm to 5 mm. The mix provides wide-open aeration to the roots, and cactus roots thrive in it. Not the best for growers living in arid climates, although they may be able to do well with nothing b...

I noticed JR Peters (makers of popular Jack's Classic ferts) offers water analysis lab tests for $46 + one way shipping. I'm probably going to send mine in if just for the complete knowledge of macro/micro nutrients (and to think I'm fancy). I've also been meaning to test the soil of my in-ground c...

The raised bed mix from my area only has decomposed leaf an wood chip according to the ingredients labeling on the bag. It could be a locality thing. I’ll post a pic here in a bit for you, I work in a garden center but it could take me a little bit were I have to resize the photo to be allowed on h...