Flushing your Plants?

[stinkyattic]

hm. I beg to differ on the action of epsom salts on the chemicals in the soil.
Epsom salts is simply an inorganic magnesium source; specifically, Magnesium sulfate. In aqueous solution, it dissociates into its components, Mg+ ion and SO4- ion. Sulfate has an equilibrium with sulfuric acid, just fyi. Adding epsom salts will actually ADD to an existing lockout situation.
The only thing that will help to remove built-up chemicals and locked salts from your soil is a chelating agent (or a strong acid, but this is not an option for obvious reasons, lol). Chelating agents are compounds that keep individual ions from recombining into undesirable salts. Humic acid, oxalic acid, EDTA, and EGTA are examples.
Flushing with such a strong solution of epsom salts is something I would not personally ever do. If I saw a deficiency, I would apply it as a foliar spray, and at a MUCH MUCH lower concentration. As a fertilizer, even for roses, who love it, a couple pinches scratched into the soil surface is more than enough.
Ammonia in its only form is fully soluble in water. The reason that it makes your medium acidic is that it, like epsom salts, has an equilibrium with an acid, in this case, ammonium (NH4+). The nutrient problem is that it is, as a Nitrogen source, TOO available to your plants. Nitrogen overdose can lead to weakening of the excessive new growth and susceptibility to disease.
I don;t see a need to flush those plants, but you need to take better care that they do not run out of water in your hot, arid climate. This IMHO is the primary reason that they are not as large as they could be.
In general, they look great.

[surreys princess]

i did suggest a chelating agent as well, if you read the first post.....and you never use epsom salt in a large amount (it was 1 to 2 teaspoons, not tablespoons...).....miracle gro is a acidic fert, and the epsom salt helps break up the urea components in the soil that arent soluble...it also opens the roots up where they can be clogged....everyone has their own opinions i suppose....i just share what has worked for me....

[stinkyattic]

First post? Can't find it.
Urea's solubility in water is 1.08 g/mL @ room temperature. It does not need help.
Excess root mass should be dissolved through enzymatic action (cannazyme), not acids- acids/bases are nonselective and will kill living tissue as well as dead, while enzymes and soil beneficials are safe to use on a living plant.
I don't mean to sound harsh but Chemistry is not a matter of opinion, it's science.

[surreys princess]

i guess your knowledge outweighs mine stink.......

i obviously dont know as much about chemistry, i will be the first to admit that....but i have used this before, and so have many others, and though the chemistry may not make sense, it did work (for me), for whatever reasons it worked...

you dont sound harsh, just confident....

[Nightcrewman]

hm. I beg to differ on the action of epsom salts on the chemicals in the soil.
Epsom salts is simply an inorganic magnesium source; specifically, Magnesium sulfate. In aqueous solution, it dissociates into its components, Mg+ ion and SO4- ion. Sulfate has an equilibrium with sulfuric acid, just fyi. Adding epsom salts will actually ADD to an existing lockout situation.
The only thing that will help to remove built-up chemicals and locked salts from your soil is a chelating agent (or a strong acid, but this is not an option for obvious reasons, lol). Chelating agents are compounds that keep individual ions from recombining into undesirable salts. Humic acid, oxalic acid, EDTA, and EGTA are examples.
Flushing with such a strong solution of epsom salts is something I would not personally ever do. If I saw a deficiency, I would apply it as a foliar spray, and at a MUCH MUCH lower concentration. As a fertilizer, even for roses, who love it, a couple pinches scratched into the soil surface is more than enough.
Ammonia in its only form is fully soluble in water. The reason that it makes your medium acidic is that it, like epsom salts, has an equilibrium with an acid, in this case, ammonium (NH4+). The nutrient problem is that it is, as a Nitrogen source, TOO available to your plants. Nitrogen overdose can lead to weakening of the excessive new growth and susceptibility to disease.
I don;t see a need to flush those plants, but you need to take better care that they do not run out of water in your hot, arid climate. This IMHO is the primary reason that they are not as large as they could be.
In general, they look great.

You lost me at hm. LOL

Cheers
NCM

[sublimebudsmoker]

zander you can use plant food with MG dirt just not before flowering, MG isnt useless, just the people that over do it with MG and plant food that causes the plant to burn

[huffypuffy]

Here ya go... these two are roughly 66 days old and stay outdoors. I know they look a little down and need some water, but I was going to "flush" with a gallon today.

Also, Ive also never given them a food source or any chemicals to "flush out". There just sitting in big $9 bag of miracle grow.

Thanks...

Looks like you don't have enough perlite in the medium to me. should be 15-20% perlite.

[IrieLion]

Looks like you don't have enough perlite in the medium to me. should be 15-20% perlite.

lol Dunno if u realized or not but the original post was from 2007! Those plants are probably long gone by now