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Sodium Oxide

mm4n

Well-known member
Why do some cannabis fertilizers contain Sodium (Na)?

Recently, I ran out of Liquid Silicon from Growth Technology, which is made up of Potassium Silicate (K2SiO3), so I bought what I thought was the equivalent product from B.A.C., called Silica Power, but I discovered it actually contains Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) and Sodium Oxide (Na2O).
While trying to figure out the role of Sodium Oxide in cannabis cultivation, I found that other ferts also contain it (with Potassium, Calcium or other elements).

I'm not a botanist, but as far as I know, Sodium isn't among the essential elements for cannabis... Am I wrong?
 

PlastikeRubba

Active member
It's from sodium molybdenum oxide dihydrate & sodium tetra borate decahydrate.

Hydroponic fertilizer manufactures can't be straightforward and honest about these things. It's frowned upon to say the least. If you knew it was an intentionally designed crap shoot whether your plants will process the toxic garbage nitrogen you've been sold, with the sole purpose of selling pesticides fungicides sweeteners and pharmaceuticals, you'd never buy calnit + mystery water big pharma bullshit again.

Any fertilizer manufacture (chemical company) selling calnit is your enemy. They don't want to put a drop of Molybdenum in your ferts. They definitely don't want you thinking about it. They want you thinking about all the sprays you're about to use on your shitty toxic weed.


You can accept that in this life or wait until your entire bloodline is extinct to wake up, you choice.
 

RuBp

Member
Yes you are getting some Na with the Mo and Boron, the amount is miniscule though. I dont know why your silicon has it, if you leave silicon out you will not tell any difference except using less pH down.
Rubba the nutrient companys cant teach chemistry and plant nutrition to everyone using their products, they are required to list what salts are used and it worked in this case mm4n noticed.
 

Orange's Greenhouse

Active member
I dont know why your silicon has it
It's cheaper. The product looks like a solution of sodium water glass. Potassium water glass could also be used, be more beneficial in the application but then you only have 20x margin and not 20.2x.
But when google the product I can't find label that says how much is in it. The copy says that it is potassium silicate. Then there would be little sodium in it.

For context, the product contains neither Na2O nor SiO2. These are just the what is measured. The sample is turned into either of these compounds and then that substance is weighed. It is a measure of the content of Na and Si respectively.
 

xtsho

Well-known member
The amount of sodium you're going to find in most fertilizers is not going to cause any harm to the plant. It's like the amount of chlorine in tap water isn't going to cause any harm either.

Also, many of the fertilizers people think are clean or organic contain higher concentrations of heavy metals than Miracle Gro.

Then there are the substrates people are using. What's really in that bag of soil? Does it contain compost? If so where did that compost come from? Municipal compost made from material collected for recycling is full of all kinds of nasty stuff.

Just use what you have available and grow your weed. People make too much out of this.
 

Phytoplankton

Active member
The amount of sodium you're going to find in most fertilizers is not going to cause any harm to the plant. It's like the amount of chlorine in tap water isn't going to cause any harm either.

Also, many of the fertilizers people think are clean or organic contain higher concentrations of heavy metals than Miracle Gro.

Then there are the substrates people are using. What's really in that bag of soil? Does it contain compost? If so where did that compost come from? Municipal compost made from material collected for recycling is full of all kinds of nasty stuff.

Just use what you have available and grow your weed. People make too much out of this.
AMEN! If the product had too much sodium and it caused problems with the plants, they wouldn't be in business very long.
 

Hiddenjems

Well-known member
Most chelating agents contain sodium. Calcium edta, sounds like a great way to get calcium without nitrate right? Another name for calcium edta is calcium disodium.
 

xtsho

Well-known member
Most chelating agents contain sodium. Calcium edta, sounds like a great way to get calcium without nitrate right? Another name for calcium edta is calcium disodium.

Most people don't really know what's in fertilizers beyond what's listed on the label which typically doesn't list everything. Quite often stuff is just hiding under another name. Kind of like how they use different names for MSG due to the bad name it's gotten over the years. Glutamic acid, Autolyzed yeast protein, Textured protein, and many others all used instead of monosodium glutamate and yet still the same thing.


Some blends have more sodium than calcium:

Calcium 9.7% EDTA chelated fertilizer
One gram of Dissolvine E-Ca-10 per gallon final volume nutrient solution provides approximately 25ppm calcium and 29.6 ppm Sodium.
 

Dime

Well-known member
Why do some cannabis fertilizers contain Sodium (Na)?

Recently, I ran out of Liquid Silicon from Growth Technology, which is made up of Potassium Silicate (K2SiO3), so I bought what I thought was the equivalent product from B.A.C., called Silica Power, but I discovered it actually contains Silicon Dioxide (SiO2) and Sodium Oxide (Na2O).
While trying to figure out the role of Sodium Oxide in cannabis cultivation, I found that other ferts also contain it (with Potassium, Calcium or other elements).

I'm not a botanist, but as far as I know, Sodium isn't among the essential elements for cannabis... Am I wrong?
Very low levels are considered beneficial for some crops
 

mm4n

Well-known member
Are you sure you meant sodium oxide by itself? it's very reactive and usually stored in oil because once it hits water it reacts
In BAC-Silica Power sodium is combined with Silicon Dioxide: 15% SiO2 + 0.4% Na2O. While Liquid Silicon is only K2SiO3 at 6%.
Very low levels are considered beneficial for some crops
I had also read that in some crops sodium is used as a fertilizer (perhaps beet or tomato), but when I tried to find specific information on sodium and cannabis, I did not find any studies supporting its use.
That's why I was surprised to discover now so many products containing it, considering that in the last 15 years I have never seen any amount of sodium in the ferts I have used.
 

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Dr.Dutch

Well-known member
Plants cannot absorb sodium. The only issue with excessive sodium is the increase in EC value, which does not occur in practice when using good fertilizers. The German Hortipendium specifies threshold values of 30ppm in closed hydroponics. I personally use fulvic acid containing a few percent sodium, as well as sodium carbonate as a pH upper. Even with these, critical values are far from being reached.

P.S.: Avoid using Calcium-EDTA; it’s absolute garbage.
 
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RuBp

Member
Na uptake depends on the species of plant, some have a low uptake potential some have a high uptake like beets, spinach. The high uptake plants can substitute Na for K in physiological processes. Cannabis probably is not one of them. As everyone has said the amount in fertilizers is tiny but enough to satisfy any requirement, if there is one.
 

Dime

Well-known member
 

Dr.Dutch

Well-known member
Na uptake depends on the species of plant, some have a low uptake potential some have a high uptake like beets, spinach. The high uptake plants can substitute Na for K in physiological processes.
Thanks for clarifying. I quickly asked GPT, and my understanding that plants cannot absorb sodium was incorrect (it already seemed a bit illogical, considering the existence of threshold values in other sources).

As far as I recall, this information came from the context of growing in coco coir, where it was mentioned that you should increase runoff if the sodium level in the nutrient solution exceeds a certain threshold. The claim that "cannabis cannot absorb sodium, and it would otherwise accumulate in the substrate" seems to be an oversimplification.

GPT explained that sodium is absorbed by plants through nonspecific ion transporters, similar to the passive uptake mechanisms for other ions. While some plants (halophytes and some C4-plants) have specific mechanisms for sodium uptake because they require it in small amounts, cannabis does not fall into this category.

Sodium seems less problematic than I initially thought. If plants absorb sodium at a rate similar to calcium, it is unlikely to accumulate in the substrate more than calcium would.
 

RuBp

Member
Dutch the process for uptake is similar between Ca and Na but the amount of Ca in the soil solution or hydroponic solution is hundreds ppm, the amount of Na is .0something ppm. The plant will take up huge amounts of Ca compared to Na. Na will leach out easy but the tiny amount thats attached to the tiny amount of Mo and Boron is not going to cause any buildup problems anyway. Its the organic nuts that should worry about Na, alot of manures/composts have alot.
 
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