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Ohio

I talked to a few great soil experts but wanted to get some more ideas on this.

Id like to up my Magnesium but dont want to be adding anything else with it. The closest thing I can come up with is Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts), but Id really like to do with out the sulfate. Is there anything out there that I could use that is straight Magnesium?,, This might be a stupid question but just wondering if there was a fertilizer available like this out there?

Thanks,
Brooks

11/14/2009 8:42:23 PM

Metallic magnesium is available in most sporting goods/camping sections as a fire starter. It comes in a stick, and you shave off bits of it with a knife or multi-tool. Not terribly easy to apply to the patch and I'm not sure you're looking to set your patch ablaze.

The soil test results indicative of Mg in your patch are given “as magnesium,” but that doesn’t mean you have elemental magnesium sitting around in your patch. Magnesium is fairly reactive, so even if you were to apply it to the patch, it would soon react to form magnesium compounds.

Don’t let the word “salt” in “Epsom salts” scare you. In the chemical sense, a salt is a compound formed as the result of an acid-base reaction. By this definition, lime can be considered a salt. Soil salinity is more typically concerned with compounds with a sodium cation or chloride anion, although other cations (including potassium, magnesium, and calcium) may build up in the soil eventually leading to a salinity problem. (Soil scientists, feel free to jump in here, as I am not one.)

11/16/2009 3:05:00 PM

(continued from above)

In order for your plants to consume magnesium, it will have to be dissolved (i.e., in some form of an ion pair as solutions must maintain a zero charge balance), and therefore necessarily in the form of a dissolved salt. Since undissolved species do not transport, again, the magnesium will ultimately be in some form of a dissolved salt.

Think of your plant as a pump. It’s easy for the pump to move water. Likewise, it would be easy for your pump to move Kool-Aid, which is water with dissolved species in it. But it would be very hard on your pump to try and moved water with a bunch of sand in it. Even if it does move the sandy water, it would probably wreck the impellers and seals.

Anyhow, I’m sure magnesium is available in a variety of forms (including dolomite if your pH is also askew) if you are dead set against magnesium sulfate, but again, just not sure why.

Someone else weigh in here. I’m a little verbose on Mondays.

11/16/2009 3:05:25 PM

Corbin, KY

Magnesium Oxide 85% is usually avaiable as a animial supplement. Although it will rase PH.

11/16/2009 4:06:11 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

All plant nutrients are salts regardless of their source. Even the purist organic compounds must be converted to a plant available form ie salt.

11/16/2009 6:44:46 PM

Ohio

Thanks guys, again, learn something new everday, thanks a million for the info.

Brooks

11/17/2009 4:12:34 AM

Steve is a little more succinct than I. :)

11/17/2009 10:19:25 AM

Picton,ON (j.vincent@xplornet.ca)

Brooks

Magnesium Sulfate is your best bet to bump up your mag levels. Highly available mag source and cheap and easy to buy.

Magnesium is a highly underrated nutrient in pumpkin growing as far as I am concerned and very important.

11/17/2009 2:05:51 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

BROOKS, CHECK THIS OUT.

Magnesium Glucoheptonate

http://www.griggbros.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=185

A naturally occurring chelating agent used for true foliar absorption to avoid nasty soil locking issues.

11/19/2009 5:17:27 PM

Ohio

awesome Tremor!! exactly what Im looking for, thanks!

11/19/2009 7:20:26 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

Steve....you always amaze me!!! Now what do you know about Milky Spore???? LOL

11/19/2009 8:38:14 PM

Ohio

Alex, thats one of the reasons why if we ever had to pick teams (on a post a while ago who would you pick on your growing team) Steve would be one of the ones I would choose with out question, he reminds me of the professor!,,lol

11/20/2009 7:47:13 AM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Brooks,

The manufacturer rep is a friend of mine. We've worked together on on advanced organic granular fert. Lipo-protein stuff. Real high tech. ANYWAY.

This material isn't cheap.
The guy will UPS ship a single 5 gal case for $150 plus UPS charges. 55 lb box might be $35, I'm guessing???

CALL or email me if you want me to proceed.

Chuck,

Milky Spore only controls Jap Beatle grubs. If you also have chafers, Orientals, Asiatics, etc, Milky Spore won't touch them.

11/20/2009 11:57:35 AM