dishwashing liquid added to plant water
eileen_plants
17 years ago
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
17 years agoeileen_plants
17 years agoRelated Discussions
Watering house plants with liquid from cooking
Comments (7)Forum discussions frequently center on the question of adding dilute coffee/tea or grounds to plants as a 'tonic', but Arabica (coffee) and Camellia (tea) are known for their toxic alkaloid (caffeine) content and their allelopathic affect on plants as well as autotoxic (poison to their own seedlings) effects on future generations. Caffeine interferes with root development by impairing protein metabolism. This affects activity of an important bio-compound (PPO) and lignification (the process of becoming woody), crucial steps for root formation. We also know that the tannins in both coffee and tea are known allelopaths (growth inhibitors). There are ongoing experiments to develop herbicides using extracts from both coffee and tea that cause me to want to say they might serve better as a nonselective herbicide than as a tonic. I would not use either (stale coffee or tea) by applying directly to my plants - especially containerized plants; nor would I add tea bags/coffee grounds to my container soils. I look at nutrition methodically. I prefer to use the least number of nutrient mixtures that will ensure my plants are getting all the essential nutrients they normally take from the soil and in the right proportions. The reason is, supplying more of any one element than a plant can use can be as limiting as supplying too little. 'How did he get THERE?' you might ask. What is in water left over from cooking vegetables - anyone know? So - you use it ..... then what? Obviously, it is going to be entirely inadequate in supplying the major elements, N P K Ca Mg S. So what do you do .... you fertilize anyway - because you have no idea what you supplied with the fish emulsion and you still need to be sure all the bases are covered. The point is, if you're using fertilizers that only cover a few of the elements required for growth, additional fertilizers are required to fill in the gaps, Almost always, there will be overlaps, where you are supplying the same element in both products, or the same element will be missing from both products - gaps. Why not choose a fertilizer that supplies ALL the elements required for normal growth, and in a ratio to each other that is favorable, thereby eliminating gaps, overlaps, and potential antagonisms? (Antagonistic deficiencies occur when an excess of one element in the soil solution prevents adequate uptake of 1 or more other elements. Common antagonisms exist between Fe/Mn, P/Fe and Mn, Ca/Mg, others.) I'm not saying the veggie water is particularly harmful, only that if you're employing a fertilizer like Foliage-Pro 9-3-6, it's probably redundant. This question in another form often comes up when discussing the use of aquarium water as a nutrient source. We know the aquarium water is not a complete fertilizer, and since you have no idea what you DID supply when you used it, you will certainly need to fertilize anyway - thus making the aquarium water (or manure) of little or no value. The easiest and most efficient way to supply nutrients to your plants is with a soluble synthetic fertilizer that supplies nutrients in a ratio the same as the ratio at which the plants actually USE the nutrients. The only reliable way to do that is by using a fertilizer like I just described. When you depart from that plan, there can be no potential for benefits - only limitations that arise from either to much or too little of one or more elements essential for growth. Even if the residual veggie water supplied a nutrient necessary for growth, it would not help with growth unless it was supplying the single nutrient most deficient. Al...See MoreQuestions about liquid fertilizer use on foliage plants.
Comments (5)Some things to consider ...... Coir is the finely ground hulls of coconuts, the physical properties of which are very close to those of sphagnum peat, for which some would consider it to be an appropriate substitute. CHCs are coconut husks chipped coarsely, and would be closer in physical characteristics to chipped pine bark than peat or coir. Both coir and CHCs have some chemical properties that require special attention if you are to expect best results from their use. The higher pH of coir or CHCs you mentioned is probably closer to a negative than a positive because it eliminates the use of dolomite as a liming agent and as a source od Ca and Mg; this, because using lime raises pH to levels that can bind (make them insoluble) many of the micronutrients. I agree that you don't always get good information from the advertising hype on fertilizer packaging. In fact there is no doubt that fertilizer manufacturers lead you to believe things that aren't true, and imply promises that their product can't deliver, but because they have a vested interest in helping us to not kill our plants so we remain potential repeat customers, their dosage instructions are usually on the low to middling side. I often use 2-3x as much 9-3-6 as the instructions advise during periods of peak growth (long days & temps from 60-80*). In winter, I thing the 1/4 tsp/gallon each time you water is realistic - as long as you are flushing the soil. If you would consider your light levels to be especially low, you might consider 1/4 tsp/gal every other time you water. If you're not flushing the soil when you water, everything is more complicated and difficult to maintain anything resembling precise control of. Personally, I don't follow my own advice when it comes to watering, but here is the most effective way to water plants: * Using a rose or nozzle that allows you to cover the entire surface of the soil, water until the soil is saturated, but no water is yet exiting the drain hole * Wait about 10 minutes * Water again, but this time until at least 15-20% of the water applied during both operations exits the drain hole * Make sure the effluent in the collection saucer has no pathway back into the soil. This requires a positive disconnect between the soil and the effluent, even during the draining period. This method flushes accumulation salts from the soil and prevents the ratio of nutrients in the soil from becoming badly skewed, the later of which happens quickly when you use fertilizers that don't closely mimic the ratio at which the plant actually uses the nutrients. I use the method described except I do it all in 1 water application instead of waiting and flushing as the second operation. The nozzle I made to use on the watering can - it helps me to accurately aim the water wherever I want on the soil's surface: Al...See Moreliquid dishwashing detergent - where are the suds?
Comments (48)Totally agree with you. I used to use Palmolive as it seemed "sudsier" than Dawn. But lately it is horrible and like you I have to keep add more soap and more water to get the dishes even relatively clean. For the commenter that said to "use your dishwasher" as it uses less water--many plastic, fragile and even some cookware items CANNOT be washed in the dishwasher. So you still need a hand dishwashing alternative for those items. I believe the changes are due to environmental regulations that we don't even have any idea were passed that the companies have to abide by. Or they are doing it themselves to improve their ESG scores. If that is the case I think the fact we are all using MORE soap and MORE water to get dishes clean defeats the purpose of changing formulations. I'm going to be asking several of the manufacturers exactly this. If I hear back I will share what they have to say here....See MoreWater hardness and the dishwasher powder you use: informal survey
Comments (45)asolo (on July 10) upbraids herring_maven's response (of July 10): "'We fill the cup to about 2/3....' Which 'cup'? What machine? Would you mind telling us how much detergent that is, please? Teaspoons? Tablespoons? Something we can relate to?" The detergent fill cups on every dishwasher, independent of brand, that I have ever seen are all (within +/- ten percent or so) the same size. Are you aware of any outliers? We have never used a teaspoon to dispense dishwasher powder into the dishwasher cup of our Miele G848, We have never used a Tablespoon to dispense dishwasher powder into the dishwasher cup of our Miele G848, We therefore do not relate to teaspoons or to Tablespoons in relation to dishwasher powder quantity. We gauge the adequacy of fill in relationship to how much of the dishwasher's cup is filled; that is our measure of how much we use. Sometimes (but rarely) we pour Ecover powder directly from the box into the cup of our Miele G848. More commonly, we use a long-handled standard coffee scoop to transport the powder from the box to the dishwasher. A standard coffee scoop is 1/8 cup; a full (level) coffeescoopful will not quite fill the detergent cup on our dishwasher. A slightly less-than-full coffeescoopful will fill the dishwasher's cup to about 3/4 capacity, and we use a bit less than that, to fill the dishwasher's cup to about 2/3 capacity....See Morekaram8672
17 years agofarmerted361
17 years agoalbert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
17 years agokorina
17 years agoeileen_plants
17 years agoelfinn
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17 years agosechmet0728
9 years agoDavid Adkins
7 years agoDave
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agohellkitchenguy Manuel
7 years agoaruzinsky
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoalbert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoaruzinsky
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoaruzinsky
7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
7 years agolast modified: 7 years agoaruzinsky
7 years agowinslowellie89
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7 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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