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Topic: Chelating Agents in hydroponic medium  (Read 3193 times)

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Offline Alaska

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Chelating Agents in hydroponic medium
« on: March 07, 2016, 12:43:43 PM »
What Chelating agent would help strip N-P-or K from root medium in a hydroponic environment. Most flushing agents I see on the market contain EDTA for stripping some of the micro elements (heavy metals). Is there even a Chelator that can help flush out any of the three basic plant fertilizer elements when one flushes his/her plants roots with water.

Offline Arkcon

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Re: Chelating Agents in hydroponic medium
« Reply #1 on: March 07, 2016, 12:52:53 PM »
Some chelating agents may remove potassium as well as other cations, so that's the "K"  But the phosphorous is not as easy.  And nitrogen isn't even only one chemical.  The N-P-K jargon of plant care has sent you to a false conclusion, fir the most part, there isn't a chelator for these nutrients,in part because of their nature, and how they're delivered as well as their much greater concentration.  There's no "carbon chelator" or "oxygen chelator" that can be applied to a living thing and selectively rinse those away, either.  Simply because they're not delivered in the same way, to give a silly example. In fact, that silly example gives you the best way to remove the N-P_K from media or root surfaces, just rinse it away.
Hey, I'm not judging.  I just like to shoot straight.  I'm a man of science.

Offline Alaska

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Re: Chelating Agents in hydroponic medium
« Reply #2 on: March 07, 2016, 01:52:18 PM »
When rinsing/flushing plant roots it is difficult to get all the salts out of the growing medium where the roots are. I am simply trying to find out if there is anything I can add to the water that will help those heavy salts dilute back into the water and rinse away.

Offline Arkcon

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Re: Chelating Agents in hydroponic medium
« Reply #3 on: March 07, 2016, 02:44:57 PM »
If you rise as well as you can, and leave the plaint in plain water for a while, the plant should absorb as much of the ions as it can.  That could be close enough to rinsing away all ions.  If you described your reason for doing this,we may be able to help more.
Hey, I'm not judging.  I just like to shoot straight.  I'm a man of science.

Offline Alaska

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Re: Chelating Agents in hydroponic medium
« Reply #4 on: March 08, 2016, 05:52:27 PM »
Maybe someone could direct me to a site where I can get answers to a organic chem question. That would be great.

Offline Intanjir

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Re: Chelating Agents in hydroponic medium
« Reply #5 on: March 09, 2016, 11:50:53 AM »
EDTA should work for phosphate, albeit indirectly. Phosphoric acid is itself quite soluble. Some of its salts are not. By chelating the offending cations that form those salts you will free up the phosphate anion.
Similarly nitrate is exceedingly soluble, its common salts are ALL soluble.
EDTA will chelate any polyvalent cation sufficiently well for the task. Monovalent cations like K+, and NH4+ are another story.
If these ions are bound in a structure like an exchange resin then simply providing enough Na+ will remove them by substitution.
If they are bound in something utterly insoluble then I wouldn't worry about them, the plant has no access to them.

I think flushing with Na2EDTA would work unless you were using something other than ammonia, nitrate and phosphate.

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