I’m making this post to find out the skinny about adding silica in your growing medium. I’ve seen YT videos on the topic but not 100% convinced of the beneficial properties that some of these youtubers claim. So im bringing my inquiry here to see if any of you guys have any 1st hand experience using silica.
I’m sure you get much more nuanced answers but it helps strengthen stems significantly.
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I use monosilicic silica as a soil drench.
I like it better than potassium silicate.
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@ogn3rd Yeah that was a common thing I heard the youtubers say. But not much else.
Is it good for the biology in the soil?
Does it help take in nutes?
Stuff like that is what I wanna know.
What’s the difference between the two?.. and how do u use it as a soil drench?
Monosilicic acid is easier for the plant to absorb.
There are some that believe using silica has no benefits.
I believe it is beneficial. I grow outdoors and I notice stronger stems and a higher tolerance to stress like heat and drought and super cropping. I notice it makes the plant tougher. It’s difficult for bugs to chew. I don’t see aphids, mites or white fly when I use it. I think it helps with powdery mildew also.
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Just buy a cheap bag of food grade diatomaceous earth. You can get a 4lb bag at Home Depot or Lowe’s for about $9.
No need to spend crazy money on some of these silica products (I’ve seen bottles for like $200+. Insane! lol).
Diatomaceous earth is loaded with plant available silica. It’s one of the best, and cheapest, forms of PAS.
A lot of soils also already have a good amount of silica in them.
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So is the monosilicic the stuff that be in new shoes and packs of jerky?
Diatomaceous earth sounds like the move. And 8f it fights off critters and PM then I’m all for it. I’ve had a lot of issues controlling the bugs and powdery mildew that occurs
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I use Silica Religiously as a defense/Armor, Offense/Strength, Size/Girth = Production…This is my Opinion though…Also agree with what’s said below
Hopefully they are in Order …Excuse the Primitive layout…I notice when I’m not using it my plants are easier to train * bend & manipulate…They’re slower to bounce back from Stresses like Fims, Defoliation Broken limbs etc
…
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Please be careful when using DE. You don’t want to breathe it in and get it in your lungs.
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Yes, I usually wear a mask. You don’t want to breathe in the powder. It’s like tiny glass shards.
But otherwise food grade DE is harmless. I even mix it in water and drink it from time to time! lol
Also, I’d recommend sulfur for PM. Do a couple thorough sprays in veg and you should be good to go.
What are your humidity levels like in flower? Do you have a dehumidifier?
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U drink dirt???
It is food grade — I fill cracks in with it to keep out crawlers. A little dirt never hurts ;).
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My thoughts on silica… only add after you are throughly aware what’s in your substrate. Losts of silica products can create nutrient issues if used incorrectly. I always say run it in veg only once it’s in the cell walls it ain’t coming out and is not generally recommended for flower. I no longer use it as the benefit was hardly noticeable. This depends more on your style of nutrition ect. I got more benefit from a trellis in results.
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Core strength 
better vigor and strength
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I use DE as well, it does make a difference, especially if the plant is a little weak.
Cheers
G
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Silica makes it more terpy.
It will replace the carbonates in the trichomes or something like that. I’m not a scientists so I can’t really expand further than that.
But it is one of the most common elements on earth. Plants evolved with it.
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Silica is used in most of agriculture because of its benefits. Lots of white papers on google scholar if you search: Silica benefits in agriculture.
Helps with powdery mildew/fungal infections, pest resistance, possibly drought stress and growth rates.
If you want silica, Potassium Silicate works fine, adjust the PH before using.
I use Rice hulls and volcanic rock dust as my silica sources, those take time to become available, but I reuse the soil.
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I use this as PH up in passive hydro.
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