So I bought a gallon of Dyna-Gro and and I went to use it and found it was full of crystals. I could hear them sloshing around in the jug like gravel--and not just a little bit but whats sounds like several cups. I complained to the seller and they suggested diluting the mixture by half and doubling the dosage which I suppose is fine. I told them I protected the product from freezing but Dyna-Gro reportedly said to the distributor that it can freeze at temps above 40 degrees F. I found this rather curious and counter-intuitive and smells funny. Has anyone ever heard of liquid fertilizer having a freezing point above 40, or above 32 for that matter??
So I bought a gallon of Dyna-Gro and it was full of cystals
- Thread starter crust
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jquast
Chumono
It is not uncommon for high salt solutions to form crystals. Best bet would be to let it warm up in the sun and invert the bottle a few times to get the crystals to go back into solution. If you elect to go the route that was sugggested to dilute the mixture, you would have to dilute the entire mix 50:50 to ensure that you are accurately cutting the solution to 50% concentration. If you only do small portions at a time the concentration in the original bottle will go up since there would be crystals left behind with each dilution.
rockm
Spuds Moyogi
I have had this problem repeatedly with Dynagro. I stopped using it because of the hassle.
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
I've never heard of this myself.
Jquast, dynagro is a low salt solution...
I generally buy the smaller bottles as it's harder to find the big ones, and the little ones are about the same price. Maybe that's why I have not seen this problem. Dyna-gro is what I use as my everyday fert.
Jquast, dynagro is a low salt solution...
I generally buy the smaller bottles as it's harder to find the big ones, and the little ones are about the same price. Maybe that's why I have not seen this problem. Dyna-gro is what I use as my everyday fert.
daygan
Chumono
Perhaps it's air exposure that facilitates the formations? Larger bottle = greater volume of air in the bottle after initial use, and more contact time with the air before the entire bottle is empty?
If so, there's got to be a practical solution.. like maybe pouring the contents of the large container into multiple smaller bottles? Or pouring the liquid into an air-tight plastic bag that does not take in air as the fertilizer is "squeezed" out? (thought this might be more difficult to implement)...
If so, there's got to be a practical solution.. like maybe pouring the contents of the large container into multiple smaller bottles? Or pouring the liquid into an air-tight plastic bag that does not take in air as the fertilizer is "squeezed" out? (thought this might be more difficult to implement)...
jquast
Chumono
It is a low salt solution when diluted to their maintenence solution (1/2 tsp per gallon) but in order to have a 7-7-7 final solution the concentrated bottle from Dyna gro is actually quite high considering it is being diluted 1 to 1500 to get it from the stock solution to the working solution. This is the reason why they suggest keeping it above 40 degrees and is referred to as "salting out" to those of us who work in a lab.
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JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Thanks for clearing that up jquast, makes sense....
Crust, won't they exchange a new bottle for you? I'd raise some cain till they did...
Crust, won't they exchange a new bottle for you? I'd raise some cain till they did...
Eric Schrader
Chumono
I had this problem with Dyna Gro, but I dilute 55 gallons at a time so I just stir it a few extra times and have no trouble.
That said - I stopped using Dyna Gro because the label lists 0.10% Sodium in the analysis which is the same as 1000 ppm, which is more than 20 times the toxicity threshold for many plant species. Perhaps I am misunderstanding my plant biology but last time I checked my reference text not only is sodium not listed in the table of necessary micronutrients but it is mentioned in the section about things that cause problems. Not sure what DynaGro is thinking - but perhaps other fert brands are just not listing it and it's there as well....perhaps an impurity that it too expensive to eliminate.
That said - I stopped using Dyna Gro because the label lists 0.10% Sodium in the analysis which is the same as 1000 ppm, which is more than 20 times the toxicity threshold for many plant species. Perhaps I am misunderstanding my plant biology but last time I checked my reference text not only is sodium not listed in the table of necessary micronutrients but it is mentioned in the section about things that cause problems. Not sure what DynaGro is thinking - but perhaps other fert brands are just not listing it and it's there as well....perhaps an impurity that it too expensive to eliminate.
Maybe one of the scientist types can speak to this succinctly but I do believe that is not a problem or unusual. The company is known for very high quality liquid fertilizer.
coh
Imperial Masterpiece
Keep in mind that your calculation applies to the dyna-gro as it exists in the concentrated state (in the bottle). When you dilute it the resulting fertilizer solution has an acceptable sodium level. For instance...adding one tsp of concentrate to a gallon of water (768 tsp) results in 1000/768 = 1.3 ppm of sodium in the fertilizer solution.
Eric Schrader
Chumono
Hi All, not satisfied with my own reply nor with taking the word of other people who may or may not be qualified to answer the issue of sodium in DynaGro "Grow", I wrote to them. Here is the e-mail exchange cut and pasted:
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
good to know, thanks for taking the time out to contact them, and update us!
JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
I'm revisiting this thread as I went against my norm, and bought a larger bottle of Dyna-gro recently, and it has the same crystallization going on that Crust and some others have had.
So Crust, - I was wondering if the water dilution that you did wound up being a long term fix, or if it re-crystalized after some time in the dilution solution??? And it was just a 1-1 warm water dilution?
So Crust, - I was wondering if the water dilution that you did wound up being a long term fix, or if it re-crystalized after some time in the dilution solution??? And it was just a 1-1 warm water dilution?
I diluted it as suggested 1-1. No real problems. I put the solution into clear cranberry juice 1/2 gallon jugs and can see if it changes. One jug had minor re-crystallization which shook out in a few seconds. Still working out the strength of the stuff in general. So far I use there recommended maintenance strength(1/2 tsp per gallon) for tighter mixed soils but have used 1 tsp per gal on some trees I now keep in 1/4" plus lava/pumice soil--this is pretty strong. Of course I have to double the watered down stuff. Oh and I am using the All-Pro 7-7-7.
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JudyB
Queen of the Nuts
Thanks, I'll give it a shot.
FrankP999
Shohin
Counter Ions??
Some of the low concentration materials in the solution are for osmotic control across root membranes where counter ions are required to move essential nutrients through the membrane and into the plant. Both sodium and chlorine serve this purpose.
Can someone help me understand what this means about "counter ions"?
Thanks
Frank
Some of the low concentration materials in the solution are for osmotic control across root membranes where counter ions are required to move essential nutrients through the membrane and into the plant. Both sodium and chlorine serve this purpose.
Can someone help me understand what this means about "counter ions"?
Thanks
Frank
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