you should not have any problems running vegetative nutrients for a few days, during the first weeks of flowering the stretch and additional growth i run vegetative nutrients then after the stretch phase has completed i transition to flowering nutrients. i am concerned with the supplementation of silica products as i am concerned with smoking silica as i am aware of silicosis of the lungs.
Hi KJC never heard of Silicosis of the lungs, I'll have to look into it. There is silicates in all plants already though, here is a little part of one of the articles i read about the subject.
Silicon: The Missing Ingredient in Most Hydroponics Marijuana Gardens
Silicon is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust (oxygen is the most abundant). It's present in relatively high concentrations in many plants grown outdoors in rich fertile soil.
Silicon is a foundational element that plays a major role in plant metabolism, growth rates, nutrients uptake, structural strength, resistance to fungal diseases, resistance to insects, resistance to adverse chemical conditions, and resistance to other problems that harm marijuana plants.
By the end of grow phase, marijuana plants grown in soil have exhausted their supply of silicon. In some cases, soil silicon is not in a form easily absorbed by marijuana plants.
In your soilless hydroponics garden, silicon is totally unavailable because it’s not in your root zone at all, unless you specifically add it as “silicate.”
AAPFCO has been slow to recognize the benefits of silicon, because plants may grow adequately in silicon-poor conditions.
But because marijuana plant scientists have been studying how hydroponics nutrients work in soilless marijuana gardens, they’ve long known that silicon-deprived plants are weaker and less productive than plants fed extra silicon.
Indeed, scientists discovered that silicon-deprived hydroponics marijuana plants are inferior to silicon-enriched plants in chemical composition, structural integrity, growth rate, maturation rate, root structure and function, enzymatic function, cellular strength, resistance to disease, pests, heat, salts, cold, heavy metals and drought, and in the quality, potency and weight of their buds.
Yes, your marijuana plants may grow adequately without silicon, which is a main reason silicon hasn’t been deemed an essential element that must be included in hydroponics base nutrients formulas. But evidence shows that without feeding added silicon to your crops, you’re missing out on healthier, stonier, more productive plants.
Here's what I found real quick on Silicosis.
"Silicosis is a lung disease that is caused by inhaling tiny bits of silica. Silica is a common mineral that is part of sand, rock and mineral ores like quartz."
I honestly don't think this applies KJC as there are Silicates in all plants already whether you add it or not. IMHO
