Re: Micronutrients

To: Aquatic-Plants at actwin_com
Subject: Re: Micronutrients
From: ac554 at freenet_carleton.ca (David Whittaker)
Date: Mon, 1 Apr 1996 03:49:33 -0500
Elizabeth Worobel said....

>Well, here is my 0.02c (CDN) worth on the subject of DIY micronutrient 
>fertilizers: Fe 1.0, B 0.98, Mn 0.10, Zn 0.09, Mo 0.08, Cu 0.004 and Co 
>0.004. These values are are all compared to Fe which is added as an EDTA 
>chelate twice a week at 0.45 uM. Currently I mix up the stock solution so 
>that I need 0.5 ml per liter. I am experimenting with a 5x solution where 
>I would only need 0.1 ml per liter ... it gets tiresome mixing 
>micronutrients every few months. Unfortunately, this gets close to the 
>solubility of EDTA (0.1 M) so Im having some trouble dissolving the EDTA.
>This mix was originally designed to grow duckweeds in the lab. Using it 
>(and other optimal conditions) Lemna trisulca would routinely double its
>biomass every 2 days and at times every 1.5 days.
>
>The chemicals for this type of mix are cheap. I estimate it costs 
>about 12 dollars to produce 4 L of a 5X micronutrient mix (1 ml per 10 
>liters twice a week). For my setup, this would last about 15 months.
>
>Dr. dave.

Would you explain how you arrived at the proportions of the constituents
in your feed? Was it trial and error, or is there a standard solution
used by people in your field? Has duckweed different requirements from
other types of aquatic plants or from terrestrials for that matter? 

0.45 uM twice a week -wouldn't that be about 0.025 ppm as Fe? Not a lot,
yes? That's good growth. You could cover Lake Winnipeg in duckweed by
Labour Day.


Karl Schoeler said...

>If anyone has the chance to visit Toronto, a "must see" is Aquarium 
>Services main store.  The plant display was the best I've ever seen in a 
>a store setting.  Most of the plants were potted, and from Tropica.  This
>store ranks even with Hoffers' in Milwaukee, Wisc.  Both have excellent
>plant departments.

If that is a setup with the series of cascades within a long large
divided tank several of the stores in the franchise have installed them.
I've bought a few plants from them here in Ottawa.

--
Dave Whittaker                       ac554 at FreeNet_Carleton.CA
Gloucester, Ontario                  dwhitt at magmacom_com
Canada