• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

fertilizer Is this fertilizer residue?

D

dragon49

I've been using the same clay pots to start my seedlings for the last 3 seasons. After I transplant out in the garden, I always wash them thoroughly in a dishwasher. I noticed last season and this season, after a few waterings, a white salty residue forms on the pots. Is this fertilizer residue that didn't wash out? Take a look:

 
a few of my orchid pots look similar; i'm going to call mold on this one. that's what i believe it is anyway. maybe somebody else has a similar grow style and could enlighten us.
 
ummm... coming from someone who works in the chemical industry, please..... do NOT taste it. You say you wash them in the dishwasher. Do you have hard water? It's quite possible that with the porosity of the clay pots, it's simply calcium buildup from the water, along with minerals in the fertilizer and dishwashing detergent. But since you don't know what it is, don't taste it. You could land yourself in the hospital if it's toxic.

Either way, my bet is mineral deposits
 
To answer Phil. Where they were in the dishwasher, that water was well water, that has a lot of copper and iron. As far as my normal watering, this season, I am using Poland Spring. Last year, I used normal NYC Chlorinated tap.

Prehensile - Hydrogen Peroxide is cheap enough for me to test this - if it is fertilizer residue, what will happen??
 
dragon49 said:
To answer Phil. Where they were in the dishwasher, that water was well water, that has a lot of copper and iron. As far as my normal watering, this season, I am using Poland Spring. Last year, I used normal NYC Chlorinated tap.

Prehensile - Hydrogen Peroxide is cheap enough for me to test this - if it is fertilizer residue, what will happen??
Click to expand...


http://www.using-hydrogen-peroxide.com/peroxide-garden.html

thats what I'm waiting for..............GO TO IT! :dance:
 
I agree with Phil we have alot of of hard water in the Mid-West and mineral deposits on clay pots are common, all though most don't get that fine of gypsum like crystal.

Phil said:
ummm... coming from someone who works in the chemical industry, please..... do NOT taste it. You say you wash them in the dishwasher. Do you have hard water? It's quite possible that with the porosity of the clay pots, it's simply calcium buildup from the water, along with minerals in the fertilizer and dishwashing detergent. But since you don't know what it is, don't taste it. You could land yourself in the hospital if it's toxic.

Either way, my bet is mineral deposits
Click to expand...
What's the matter with old school chemistry testing? ;)
 
Could actually be detergent residue or salt buildup, based on the looks and your description. I seriously doubt it's mold or even fert residue.
 
lol... I guess 17 years in chemical plants and refineries has just made me overly conscious of safety. I worked with someone who took a whiff of some stuff that came out of a piece of equipment. I fussed the living daylights out of them! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!?!?! lol
 
Phil - I don't think you're being overly cautious. Safety really should be our first concern, not just a buy-line.
 
geeme said:
Phil - I don't think you're being overly cautious. Safety really should be our first concern, not just a buy-line.
Click to expand...

absolutely. I've seen too many people get hurt in the industry because of silly human mistakes. But yeah.... Mineral buildup is a chemical residue.... especially if you suspect fertilizer residue in there too, which I'm sure there is. Don't taste unknown chemical mixtures!
 
geeme said:
Could actually be detergent residue or salt buildup, based on the looks and your description. I seriously doubt it's mold or even fert residue.
Click to expand...

I'm thinking less about detergent residue - Maybe I'm being scammed out of Poland Spring and my corner store and supermarket are putting chlorinated tap water into the containers, and the residue is the chlorine?

I tasted it and I am not dead yet! It basically has no taste, except a very very slight sweetness. It is not mold. When I got some on my finger, it was a very fine powder. Now, I need to taste some powdered dishwasher detergent to see if the tastes match up!
 
Phil said:
lol... I guess 17 years in chemical plants and refineries has just made me overly conscious of safety. I worked with someone who took a whiff of some stuff that came out of a piece of equipment. I fussed the living daylights out of them! Are you trying to get yourself killed?!?!?! lol
Click to expand...
I wasn't thinking you are over cautious just recalled reading how early chemist used sight smell and taste. Likely undergrades had to do that.
 
dragon49 said:
I know that NYC Tap water has some kind of salts - If I boil a pot of water until all the water is gone, there is a white residue on the bottom.
Click to expand...

Tap water is likely your culprit then. Those pots are very porous and have a lot of spaces for minerals to build up and hang out
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top