[APD] Notes on the notion of high K+ causing Ca++ inhibition

[John Wheeler <jcwheel76 at yahoo_com>]

Hey gang,

Scott Heiber writes:
>>If they add the same amount each week and do 50%
water changes each week, then the level pretty much
levels off after a while. Whether that level is
massive or not, I guess depends on how much they dose.
No on should dose anything indiscriminately.<<

Ah, I see-- So, levels wouldn't continually rise? They
would somehow level off at, say, 20ppm (if that is the
weekly dose) and 50% water changes are performed? Can
someone tell me how this works? 

The majority of us are dosing indiscriminately. How
much K+ can we expect a tank to use each week? Tom
pointed out that the sensitivity to this salt toxicity
depends on the species of plant's tolerance to any
salt-- not just NaCl, but including K+. (I hope I got
that right; please correct me if not). So, wouldn't
*most* of our plants fare better with less dissolved
salts? To me, that says that there will be a negative
response, in varying degrees due to natural
environment, in many of our plants with an excess of
K+ as with NaCl.

I guess there's a reason that all the old manuals, and
some of the new, promote using soft water for alot of
the plants once considered difficult. Doesn't it make
sense to find the *minimum* critical value for dosing
K+? I certainly have seen improved growth, in every
respect, when using much less K+.  

It has been pointed out to me that some nutrients are
best utilized when in excess, CO2 for example. Is K+
one of these?  

Best wishes,
John Wheeler

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Hotjobs: Enter the "Signing Bonus" Sweepstakes
http://hotjobs.sweepstakes.yahoo.com/signingbonus
_______________________________________________
Aquatic-Plants mailing list
Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
http://www.actwin.com/mailman/listinfo.cgi/aquatic-plants