The Grow formula is much higher in phosphorus than any plant can benefit from, but other than that it's a great fertilizer. I used to use it years ago because that is what I found at a hydro store, but switched to Foliage Pro once I learned more about plant nutrition. The Grow formula isn't a bad choice and it's certainly not going to kill your plants, it's just a waste of phosphorus which is a water body pollutant. I don't know if your reading has lead you to this post or not. It's the CEO of DynaGro explaining that high phosphorus fertilizers are useless.

Lol - up in the middle of the night fretting over fertilizers? Please tell me something else had you up at that hour. ;-) Here's how I fertilize in the winter: I water/fertilize (fertigate) every time I water with a low dose of fertilizer. Not everyone CAN fertigate that way - it depends on your soil choice and watering habits, so don't emulate unless you understand the ramifications. After I'm done fertigating, I fill 5 - 1 gallon milk jugs with tap water and add just under 1/4 tsp of 9-3-6 to each, and let them rest for the 4 day interval between fertigating, so they come to room temperature. I've asked a LOT of degreed hort people if plants suffer adversity from being watered with cold water, and not one has ever offered anything conclusive that says it's either good or bad, other than potential damage to foliage on some plants, like AVs. Most bonsai books suggest that a cool drink during the midday time period is very helpful because it quickly cools roots down, so apparently the 'shock' thing is a perpetuated myth. Still, it's no extra effort to allow the water to come to room temp, so that's what I do. When I fertigate, I use a watering can with a long spout that allows me to reach plants in the center of my 4x8 growing areas. The spout has a fine nozzle that sends out a 1/8" stream of water, so it take on average about 20-30 seconds to water a plant. This allows me to wet the entire surface of the plant, so gravity moves the solution down through the entire soil mass. When I see water flowing into the collection saucer, I water for a few more seconds, then stop. My plants are set on pieces of plastic u-channel above the effluent, so I don't need to empty the saucers. The evaporating water means my humidifiers run less. When it's time to water, I pour 2 qts of fertigation solution from the gallon jug into the watering can. I then add 3 drops of ProTeKt while the water is still turbulent, so it mixes well. I don't mix it in until the last minute because mixing the fertilizer and ProTeKt ahead of time causes some of the elements to precipitate from (fall out of) the solution. You asked if the ProTeKt is necessary. I think it's good to remember that in many cases, we approach growing with only our own perspective in mind. Much disagreement arises between someone who thinks their way is good enough for everyone because they are happy with it, and the grower who has found a way superior to that particular way and wants to share it. People very often get defensive when someone suggests that what someone says or does isn't the best way. "Well, it works for me!" really isn't very conclusive when it comes to deciding what might or might not be best for the plant. In addition to that, some growers place a high premium on 'less maintenance is better (for me)', while the next grower is trying to make the point that MORE maintenance is better (for the plant). I tend to always speak from the perspective of how to get to what's best for the plant, and then let the grower decide if they want to go to any extra effort or expense that might be entailed in getting there. So, the ProTeKt isn't necessary if your goal is to raise a healthy plant. I had healthy plants for many years before I started using it, but after I started using it, I noticed a lower incidence of insect and disease issues, and I noticed that my plants seemed more resistant to temperature extremes. I noticed these things even before I read a few of the many studies that quantify the effects of aqueous Si on plants, so if I was dreaming, I was at least dreaming in accord with the conclusions of others who made the actual effort to nail down the Si's effects on plants. I can't really tell you it's necessary, but I can say with a fair degree of certainty that if you do use it regularly, it's going to be helpful. Al

Al suggested to let your tap water sit for 24 hours to allow CO2 to gas off. Is this only for the initial test to see how much vinegar to add to get the pH in the right spot, or is that a recommendation for every watering? I don't think I can commit to filling up buckets of water the day before Everytime, but could totally do it once for the sake of getting a good reading. You'll need to allow the CO2 to gas off initially, then check it (tapwater) every once in a while because municipalities are always changing the amount of chemicals they add to your water supply. You'll be able to judge how often you need to check it by how much it changes, or doesn't. Probably every 3 months would be good. Personally, I don't chase my tail trying to maintain a fixed pH level for anything I grow, yet I manage to keep my plants very healthy. Most of the images I've posted through the years show extraordinarily healthy plant material as a matter of course. My pursuit of the ideal pH is pretty much limited to adding a little citric acid or white vinegar to my irrigation water before I water, whenever I see iron chlorosis, and that mostly occurs in plants I over-winter under lights in the basement. I'm presuming it's due to carbonate accumulation in the medium and related to the fact I can't flush the medium as profusely as I can watering from the hose outdoors. Once the plants go back outdoors for the summer, the issue pretty much goes away, though I have a few (6 or so) plants that still show a bit too much interveinal chlorosis for my taste. I've discovered for those few plants, a small dose of Sprint 138, an iron chelate for high pH applications, fixes it pronto. I also discovered the same treatment of Sprint 138 works just as well for over-wintering plants w/o having to acidify the water. It might be something to consider, but be willing to dig deep into your wallet if you go that route. The last 5 lbs I bought was over $100, but I have friends who use it so we share the cost. If you want to try it, I can send you a little. It only takes 1/4 stp/gallon every 5th or 6th watering, so it goes a very long way in containers. So, does the target pH offered (5-5.5) take that into consideration, or should this be adjusted for foliage pro and protekt? Similarly, any granule fert (Osmocote Plus in my case) in the mix would also affect this, right? All of those additives affect pH. You'll need to decide how important maintaining a precise pH is to you, then do some research to decide what method you want to use to check pH, then be prepared to learn you're going to have to settle for 'close enough' because of the number if factors in constant flux that change pH. I acidify my irrigation water to about 5.5 whether I use it to fertigate or irrigate. If it helps to know. I have something saved somewhere from Dave Neal, CEO of Dyna-Gro Plant Solutions that essentially says not to be concerned about any rise in pH associated with use of ProTeKt 0-0-3. After a long net search, I ended up back at this old thread for what Dave said: "To date more than 200 university studies have been published regarding the multiple benefits of soluble silicon. If you are using distilled water, presumably you are adding fertilizer. Since most [fertilizers] are acidic and applied at a rate higher than Pro-TeKt, the fact that Pro-TeKt has a high pH is more than offset by the low pH of the fertilizer. With many thousands of long time users of Pro-TeKt, I know of no one who has lost a plant due to high pH." Finally, just to clarify order of operations: add foliage pro, then water, then vinegar, then protekt? Mixing in between? I think, when you're adding ProTeKt 0-0-3, the water should not be acidified as it can cause the Ca in the FP 9-3-6 to precipitate out of solution. Al

I've been wondering myself. I have a Peace Lily in a gritty mix, and have to water it almost every day. I got precise measuring spoons, and have been using 1/8 of a teaspoon per gallon of water, but I worry that it might be too much