Plants 101

[BenignVanilla]

OK, first let me pre-flame myself for asking this question. I know I should
do my own research, and google up old posts, but I figured we have not
hashed this out lately, so it may be kinda safe.

OK, here goes...

I have ignored all of the "how do I make my plants grow" threads, because my
plants have done great all season with no meddling. I know, can you imagine,
me not meddling? Anyway, now my plants are starting to yellow, and I am
regretting ignoring the plant threads.

Anyone care to discuss the 101's of plants....fertilizing, potash, spikes,
etc.

--
BenignVanilla
Pond Site: www.darofamily.com/jeff/links/mypond

[Sam Hopkins]

Well I'll say this. Your plants are limited by the most limiting
nutrient/mineral in your water/dirt. For instance lets say your plants are
starving for iron so you add iron. If there's no magnesium for the plant it
won't be able to use the iron because plants need magnesium to be able to
absorb iron. So even though there's iron in the water now you still won't be
helped out. That's why it's important to add a complete blend of trace
elements. People's Veggie filters would do double duty on their nutrient
load if they had the proper trace minerals to allow them to use all the
nitrate in the water.

Plants usually get minerals when you do water changes. If you don't do water
changes or have a high plant load the minerals in the water will deplete
until one trace element begins to limit the plant's growth.

Sam


"BenignVanilla" > wrote in message
...
> OK, first let me pre-flame myself for asking this question. I know I
should
> do my own research, and google up old posts, but I figured we have not
> hashed this out lately, so it may be kinda safe.
>
> OK, here goes...
>
> I have ignored all of the "how do I make my plants grow" threads, because
my
> plants have done great all season with no meddling. I know, can you
imagine,
> me not meddling? Anyway, now my plants are starting to yellow, and I am
> regretting ignoring the plant threads.
>
> Anyone care to discuss the 101's of plants....fertilizing, potash, spikes,
> etc.
>
> --
> BenignVanilla
> Pond Site: www.darofamily.com/jeff/links/mypond
>
>
>

[BenignVanilla]

"Sam Hopkins" > wrote in message
.. .
> Well I'll say this. Your plants are limited by the most limiting
> nutrient/mineral in your water/dirt. For instance lets say your plants are
> starving for iron so you add iron. If there's no magnesium for the plant
it
> won't be able to use the iron because plants need magnesium to be able to
> absorb iron. So even though there's iron in the water now you still won't
be
> helped out. That's why it's important to add a complete blend of trace
> elements. People's Veggie filters would do double duty on their nutrient
> load if they had the proper trace minerals to allow them to use all the
> nitrate in the water.
>
> Plants usually get minerals when you do water changes. If you don't do
water
> changes or have a high plant load the minerals in the water will deplete
> until one trace element begins to limit the plant's growth.
<snip>

That makes total sense. As I mentioned in the OP though, when this
discussion occurred a few months back, my plants/pond/fish were doing great.
I ignored the "how do I make my plants green" thread, because I didn't need
to care...or so I thought.

So now I am sitting here going Potash? Iron? What? How do I fix this?

BV.

[Nat]

Sam Hopkins wrote:

> Well I'll say this. Your plants are limited by the most limiting
> nutrient/mineral in your water/dirt. For instance lets say your plants are
> starving for iron so you add iron. If there's no magnesium for the plant it
> won't be able to use the iron because plants need magnesium to be able to
> absorb iron. So even though there's iron in the water now you still won't be
> helped out. That's why it's important to add a complete blend of trace
> elements. People's Veggie filters would do double duty on their nutrient
> load if they had the proper trace minerals to allow them to use all the
> nitrate in the water.
>
> Plants usually get minerals when you do water changes. If you don't do water
> changes or have a high plant load the minerals in the water will deplete
> until one trace element begins to limit the plant's growth.
>
> Sam
>
>
> "BenignVanilla" > wrote in message
> ...
>
>>OK, first let me pre-flame myself for asking this question. I know I
>
> should
>
>>do my own research, and google up old posts, but I figured we have not
>>hashed this out lately, so it may be kinda safe.
>>
>>OK, here goes...
>>
>>I have ignored all of the "how do I make my plants grow" threads, because
>
> my
>
>>plants have done great all season with no meddling. I know, can you
>
> imagine,
>
>>me not meddling? Anyway, now my plants are starting to yellow, and I am
>>regretting ignoring the plant threads.
>>
>>Anyone care to discuss the 101's of plants....fertilizing, potash, spikes,
>>etc.
>>
>>--
>>BenignVanilla
>>Pond Site: www.darofamily.com/jeff/links/mypond
>>
>>

BV,

This may be they case where your clay helped you out. Most of the
limiting trace minerals would have been introduced to your pond when the
clay washed in. You can supplement with hydroponics trace mineral
solutions, such as Earth Juice MicroBlast. Be very careful on two
points, first make sure the product is trace minerals / micro nutrients
only and not a "All in one mix". Second dose very sparingly, these
things are trace minerals, good in very small amounts and toxic in large.

Of course there is the original source you got them from! Umm, I am
going to go hide again.

Nathan