After dissolving MSU fertilizer granules...How long will it last?
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After dissolving MSU fertilizer granules...How long will it last?
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  #1  
Old 12-23-2018, 02:24 PM
emmajs243 emmajs243 is offline
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After dissolving MSU fertilizer granules...How long will it last?
Default After dissolving MSU fertilizer granules...How long will it last?

Hey guys!

The title basically sums it up! I have the MSU well water fertilizer granules (I don't think the specific type of fertilizer would matter too much). I keep the granules in a cool dark place and same goes for the actual solution also.

My question, once I make the solution as instructed, how long does that solution last? It really doesn't say and I don't know if this is something that should be made fresh every week use or if I can make the full gallon and use it for a few weeks??

My main reason for asking is when I first made the solution it didn't look any different then water. Five or so days later, it no longer was clear in color but more of a yellow/orange transparent tint. I didn't know if this was something to worry about or not!

Same with like Kelp root hormones...I would think since those are already liquid, just adding water wouldn't really change their shelf life much!
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Old 12-23-2018, 03:25 PM
rbarata rbarata is online now
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After dissolving MSU fertilizer granules...How long will it last? Male
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It lasts forever. I think there's no degradation...at least that's how I treat it. Color change is normal...remember, you've made a solution.
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Old 12-23-2018, 04:26 PM
emmajs243 emmajs243 is offline
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After dissolving MSU fertilizer granules...How long will it last?
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Thank you! That's kinda what I expected as long as it is properly stored! I figured maybe after a year it might start to lose its potency like really any chemical solution but i just wanted to be safe! I honestly expected an immediate color change and was surprised that it didn't! Then when I went to use it again and saw a color change was a tad worried and figured I would ask!

Thanks again!
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Old 12-23-2018, 05:00 PM
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After dissolving MSU fertilizer granules...How long will it last? Male
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Bacteria can also grow in the solution, but it is nothing detrimental to the plants.
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Old 12-23-2018, 07:56 PM
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I think that by the time you use them up, it really wouldn't be an issue.

The fertilizer will stay in solution for quite a while before water evaporates and the solutes crystalize again.

If you're concerned about radioactive half-life, then it'll be a very long time before it degrades.

I don't know what the shelf life of phytohormones are.
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Old 12-23-2018, 08:30 PM
emmajs243 emmajs243 is offline
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After dissolving MSU fertilizer granules...How long will it last?
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All of your posts have been such a great help! Thanks Ray and Phillip! My main thought was what if it acidifies over time or lose its potency once mixed. Something that could...make it no longer positively impact my orchids.

I honestly don't even know what exactly I was worried about, working in a lab though, you learn that so many chemical solutions have weird quirks you have to be mindful of!

Plus, with my first seedlings in the house, I am a little bit of an overprotective worrier right now! I am sure it will wear off in 3-5 years!
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Old 12-23-2018, 10:32 PM
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I haven't tested the pH of a fertilizer solution over time, but usually being in solution for a week or two does not seem to show any significant negative effects on the plants themselves.

At the moment, I am not aware of whether or not a fertilizer kept in solution for about a week or two will have significant pH shifts towards acidity.

The only component of the fertilizer that I can think of that can significantly change while in solution is the nitrogen portion of the fertilizer. Nitrogenous bacteria can turn the nitrogenous compounds present in the solution into Nitrogen gas over a period of about a week or two.

The potassium and the phosphorous portions of the fertilizer, I believe, tend to be more stable in solution compared to the nitrogen. A similar thing can be said of many of the trace elements.

Think of when you cycle a fish aquarium. Upon initially adding water to the aquarium, and there are no nitrogenous bacteria present, and when you start putting in nitrogenous organic material into the water, there will be a huge initial spike in ammonia. This eventually drops over some time when nitrogenous bacteria start to colonize and metabolize the nitrogenous organics in the water. By about 1 - 2 weeks, a large proportion of the nitrogenous organics in the water will have stabilized. There will eventually be 0 ppm ammonia, 0 ppm nitrites, and maybe, depending on how big of an organic load was used to cycle the aquarium, there could be some amount of nitrates (usually about 10 ppm - 20 ppm). Over some more time, the nitrates will then be converted into nitrogen gas.

The Nitrogen Cycle is about the only thing I can think of that you might have to consider. But as long as there is soluble nitrogen, the plants, for the most part, don't really care what form of nitrogen it is. Of course, certain forms of nitrogen are more bioavailable to the plants than others, but most of the forms present in the fertilizer itself are bioavailable to the plants from the get go (nitrate is considered bioavailable to plants). In the case of urea based nitrogen, I know that there is evidence that supports that Phalaenopsis can directly absorb urea as a nitrogen source when to some other orchids urea may not be as bioavailable (Phalaenopsis can absorb urea directly through their roots | SpringerLink).

I will also say that most orchids tend to tolerate being grown in an environment that is slightly acidic to approaching slightly alkaline in pH (about pH 6.5 - 7.9). There are a few exceptions to this, there are a few orchids that tend to favor neutral to slightly alkaline conditions, (pH 7.0 - 8.5), and will suffer if the pH drops too low. Very few orchids tolerate acidic conditions of pH 4.5 - 5.0.

---------- Post added at 07:32 PM ---------- Previous post was at 05:59 PM ----------

You might also be interested in this article pertaining to Phalaenopsis...

Effects of Nitrogen and the Various Forms of Nitrogen on Phalaenopsis Orchid—A Review
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