chelation
“ SYNTHETIC CHELATES HAVE BEEN MUCH STUDIED AND HAVE NOT BEEN REPORTED AS DANGEROUS .”
SYNTHETIC CHELATES The most common synthetic chelating agents are EDTA , DPTA , and EDDHA . Reading the labels on many hydroponic nutrients , you ’ ll notice many make use of these chelates . Iron — a vitally important nutrient for plant growth , vigor , and health — precipitates quickly in most grow media , so the use of synthetic chelates has been growing over the years . Also , grow media are often not completely capable of supporting the processes that produce and support natural chelates ; so , in these cases , the synthetics are excellent alternatives . Synthetic chelates have been much studied and have not been reported as dangerous . When reviewing the government ’ s list of synthetic substances that can be used on organic farms , however , these are not listed .
So , in summary , chelates increase the availability of nutrients and they prevent nutrients from forming insoluble compounds . They reduce the toxicity of some metal ions in that they reduce their concentration to a more normal and beneficial level . They will also prevent nutrients from being washed out of the soil as mineral ions . Chelated minerals are more stable than free ions . Chelation increases the mobility , and thus availability , of nutrients to plants . Finally , chelating nutrients reduces the growth of plant pathogens to the crop . For additional information on the science behind chelates and to review the reference information for this article , scan the QR code .
74 grow cycle