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Author Topic: Bulb Log 52  (Read 3999 times)

Maggi Young

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Re: Bulb Log 52
« Reply #15 on: January 16, 2010, 12:00:37 AM »
By jove, Helen.... that's interesting... of course, the potassium content in the fruit is one of the reasons why tennis players are always chomping them during their matches, isn't it?
Most interesting..... he'll have to start from scratch though.... I draw  the line at recovering the ones already in the municipal foodwaste bin for composting. :P
« Last Edit: January 16, 2010, 10:24:02 AM by Maggi Young »
Margaret Young in Aberdeen, North East Scotland Zone 7 -ish!

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johnw

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Re: Bulb Log 52
« Reply #16 on: January 16, 2010, 01:57:56 AM »

I too am puzzled why the potash powder works so well and apparently does no harm. I can speculate that there are three possible reasons or a combination of them all.
1- That the potassium sulphate is not harmful to these organisms. We should remember that not all chemicals are harmful and not everything organic is beneficial
2- By adding it late in the growth cycle it does not have a harmful effect.
3- The fact that potassium also boosts the plants immune system counteracts any loss of the beneficial fungus and bacteria.
If I knew of or had an organic source of Potassium I would trial it.



Banana skins?

http://jds.fass.org/cgi/reprint/32/11/969.pdf

Indeed.  Long ago when I looked after tropicals in office towers we always dropped squares of banana peels in the watery throats of the bromeliads.  I had completely forgotten about that. Oftentimes we'd take them with us and forget about them in our pockets until the next day -  >:(

The bromeliads never looked better and flowered like mad.  (not a shred of evidence to  prove it was the peel)

johnw
John in coastal Nova Scotia

Lori S.

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Re: Bulb Log 52
« Reply #17 on: January 16, 2010, 01:59:20 AM »
Errr, strictly speaking, potash is KCl, not potassium sulphate (unless the term potash is being used very loosely?)  

Potash is mined on a huge scale in the neighboring province of Saskatchewan, from the Devonian Prairie Evaporite Formation, for plant fertilizer.  I'm not sure why the concept of "organic" (albeit, an artificial term, but in the sense it seems to be meant) would not apply to naturally-occurring minerals (which are however in the other sense of the word, inorganic)... ?
« Last Edit: January 18, 2010, 12:56:29 AM by Lori Skulski »
Lori
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Zone 3
-30 C to +30 C (rarely!); elevation ~1130m; annual precipitation ~40 cm

maggiepie

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Re: Bulb Log 52
« Reply #18 on: January 16, 2010, 03:07:31 PM »
By jove, Helen.... that's interesting... of course, the potassium content in the fruit is one of the reasons why tennis players are always chomping them during their matches, isn't it?
Most interesting..... he'll have to start from scratch though.... I draw  the line at recovering the ones already in the municipal foodwaste bin for composting. :P

Maggi, I used to chomp on bananas when I was playing lots of tennis.  The Potassium is supposed to help prevent cramps.
We bought a dehydrater a few months ago to dry our chillies, maybe I should try some banana skins. :)
Helen Poirier , Australia

 


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