BlueGold® Silica Sand (73% SiO2) (OMRI Listed)

Despite decades of studies proving otherwise, Silica continues to be an under-appreciated and unrecognized nutrient. In certain plant species, Silica is absorbed in large amounts than higher than “essential micronutrients.” For example, the uptake of Silica is twice that of Nitrogen in rice. Silica can benefit plant growth and be very useful, especially with plants under toxicity or biotic stress. Silica may also enhance soil fertility, improve disease and pest resistance, and increase tolerance to excesses of Iron or Manganese. Plants high in Silica have also been study proven to be more heat or frost-resistant. Silica is a binder of oxides and hydroxides (toxic forms of elements), and heavy metals. Coincidently, Silica is one of the most abundant elements in the earth’s crust – and when soil becomes deficient in Silica, there are negative results.

Calcium Silicates emerged as one of the most essential and available sources of Silicates for soil applications and our go-to for over 10 years, but as of 2023, we have found this SiO2 raw Silicate that is our new recommended Silica of choice. We will be phasing our Calcium Silicate inventory out. Calcium Silicate is still a very well-used and recommended input with a solid history of results. We are just constantly chasing the best results, and this new 73% SiO2 Silicate is our top choice. Calcium Silicate [CaSiO3] is a raw mineral with a relatively high pH (10-11) with low water solubility, which is why it is micronized to less than 40 microns for injection capabilities, or our extremely micronized liquid product BlueGold® Mega Cal-Sil. Calcium Silicate is considered a ‘lime.’ We do not consider this an available Calcium source as it is a Cationic (positive charged) input and Calcium needs to be Anionic (negative charged) to be available. Aragonite is the Calcium source you’d use to address Calcium PPMs in the soil/sap. This new SiO2 Silica Sand carries a pH of 9.36, has 1.52% total Aluminum, and tests at 77.4% SiO2. Our Calcium Silicate is 51.3% SiO2 with 0.9% Aluminum. You need a minimum of 20:1 ratio between Silica and Aluminum with a pH above 6.0 for the Silica to grab and hold the Aluminum. The new Silica Sand is a 50:1 ratio, and Calcium Silicate is a 57:1 ratio, both are safe! You want to be very careful of your Silica inputs, because most will carry a heavy metal/Aluminum package, especially Diatomaceous Earth, Azomite, Zeolite, Mono Aluminum Silicates, etc.

The overwhelming evidence in controlled studies has shown that high levels of Silica can reduce the severity of several important diseases like Blast, Brown Spot, and Hollow Stem Syndrome. It has been demonstrated that disease tends to decrease with increasing concentrations of Silica in plant tissue. Similar observations have been made for many insect pests. In flowering species, including Hemp, Silica PPM increase in plant tissue has been directly correlated to significant dry weight increases.

CAUTION

BlueGold® Silica Sand (Injectable and/or Raw) should only be applied in accordance with an Apical sap/soil analysis. This Silica cannot be used with pumps, seals, or equipment as Silica is extremely abrasive, and the 44-micron is too tough on equipment. It can be used as top dressing, hand-spreading, certain spreaders, etc. For injectable (0-3 micron), you want our 95% SiO2 Silica from Quartz. Results should dictate ongoing application rates.