Assumption 1: Leidbig’s law of the minimum
Assumption 2: Everything interacts
Plants:
Hence, Assumption 1 is contingent on the acquisition of nutrients which obeys assumption 2.
On the acquisition of nutrients:
If you reset the water column to empirically confirmed values (ADA, EI, PPS, PMDD, GH 5-7, etc), via regular, consistent water changes (start with daily, then ease off to find the relative, dynamic range for your system) then everything should be able to acquire nutrients appropriately, provided you have Flow, CO2, and light optimized. The LONGER you can stay within the boundaries dictated uniquely for your tank via assumption 2, the longer you can postpone water changes. The more nutrient dense and appropriately acidic substrate, the more forgiving plants are to poor water column management (which is unique to each species of plant about its particular ability to acquire nutrients): dosing management (all at once, daily, every other day etc, AND relative concentrations of what gets poured in).
All that is left is to grow.
On growth:
There are lots more “hences” but the conclusion is that everyone is right.
Assumption 2: Everything interacts
Plants:
- have roots and shoots (includes leaves)
- require nutrients (All ferts, CO2) and light to grow
- Assumption 1 dictates the growth
- Define nutrient required for growth over an interval of time (1 second, 1 minute, etc) as the specific demand of nutrients, in specific relative amounts (ex: 5N, 2P, .1Mn etc) for the jobs that it needs to do
- The plant must be able to acquire these nutrients during that interval of time, in advance of what is being built in the plant
- Acquisition of nutrients occurs from roots and shoots
- In the substrate + in the water column
- During acquisition, assumption 2 applies (in both mediums)
- In the substrate + in the water column
- Nutrients can be moved through tissue from past acquisition (back to how (a) works)
- Acquisition of nutrients occurs from roots and shoots
- The plant must be able to acquire these nutrients during that interval of time, in advance of what is being built in the plant
- Define nutrient required for growth over an interval of time (1 second, 1 minute, etc) as the specific demand of nutrients, in specific relative amounts (ex: 5N, 2P, .1Mn etc) for the jobs that it needs to do
- Assumption 1 dictates the growth
Hence, Assumption 1 is contingent on the acquisition of nutrients which obeys assumption 2.
On the acquisition of nutrients:
- By assumption 2, there must exist a dynamic interconnected web of dependencies (between every single nutrient and factor at play) that dictate how the plant will experience the acquisition of nutrients.
- In the water column
- Flow of water will deliver nutrients to plant root/shoot system
- Relative concentrations will affect how other nutrients are acquired at plant interface
- Provided that nutrient values are within particular bounds (by 1) above), the acquisition of nutrients will not be inhibited.
- However, the interplay between the roots (in substrate) and the mobility of nutrients in plants will allow the plant to “top” itself up if something is unable to be acquired exclusively through the water column
- Provided that nutrient values are within particular bounds (by 1) above), the acquisition of nutrients will not be inhibited.
- In the substrate
- Nutrients are acquired via the rhizosphere (symbiosis between bacteria and plant)
- By assumption 2, an appropriate relative range of nutrient concentrations for absorption exists
- Appropriately-acidic substrate increases the efficacy of nutrient acquisition
- By assumption 2, an appropriate relative range of nutrient concentrations for absorption exists
- Nutrients are acquired via the rhizosphere (symbiosis between bacteria and plant)
- In the water column
If you reset the water column to empirically confirmed values (ADA, EI, PPS, PMDD, GH 5-7, etc), via regular, consistent water changes (start with daily, then ease off to find the relative, dynamic range for your system) then everything should be able to acquire nutrients appropriately, provided you have Flow, CO2, and light optimized. The LONGER you can stay within the boundaries dictated uniquely for your tank via assumption 2, the longer you can postpone water changes. The more nutrient dense and appropriately acidic substrate, the more forgiving plants are to poor water column management (which is unique to each species of plant about its particular ability to acquire nutrients): dosing management (all at once, daily, every other day etc, AND relative concentrations of what gets poured in).
All that is left is to grow.
On growth:
- Assumption 1 dictates growth
- It assumes the nutrient is in the plant
- Absorption in soil is moderated by plant demand from shoots - the root can choose (otherwise soil with any trace of ammonia would burn everything in it and it doesn’t).
- Absorption in water column is partially moderated by the plant:
-
- We can force feed plants Nitrate and Phosphate and the plant cannot get rid of them (hence different plant forms under different dosing regimes)
- This approach, however, will increase the demand from the substrate
- This is fine, but as the substrate becomes depleted, we fall to Assumption 1 and obtain unhealthy plants (a state in which plants grow when the appropriate nutrients required are unable to be acquired by the plant)
- Hence the reports of EI users running into problems after 6 months with aquasoil if care has not been put into the empirically confirmed appropriate sacred ranges in the column/substrate/maintenance for plant growth
- This is fine, but as the substrate becomes depleted, we fall to Assumption 1 and obtain unhealthy plants (a state in which plants grow when the appropriate nutrients required are unable to be acquired by the plant)
- This approach, however, will increase the demand from the substrate
- We can force feed plants Nitrate and Phosphate and the plant cannot get rid of them (hence different plant forms under different dosing regimes)
-
- It assumes the nutrient is in the plant
There are lots more “hences” but the conclusion is that everyone is right.
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