This is a public-interest archive. Personal data is pseudonymized and retained under GDPR Article 89.

Re: More on Propagating Under Flourescents/Fertilizer

Donna <dmaroni@email.unc.edu> wrote:

> Now my question:  I have a brass siphon device that is intended for use
> with 16X concentrated liquid fertilizer.  Do any of you use these things.
> I have had great success with Peter's fertilizer, but the siphon soon
> clogs. I've been faithful about running clear water though the hose &
> siphon after each use, but it still clogs.  Is this avoidable?

Yes, I use them.  I'm surprised you have trouble using Peter's, it is quite
soluble and should go through the siphon easily.  I regularly use mine to
siphon fish and seaweed concentrate and haven't had any clogging problems at
all.  It is a particulate suspension, and even when I make up 5 gallon pails of
concentrate for large feedings and it all gets through it okay.  Perhaps what
you're experiencing is a slowing of the siphoning action because the back
pressure between the hose end and the siphon itself is too great.  The
manufacturer recommends using a short length of hose, 25' or less after the
siphon and not to restrict the flow at all.  If I'm using a water wand I'll
remove the water breaker at the end to have minimal resistance to the flow.  It
works fine for me used this way.  If you want to have a slower flow then you
need to put a small inline shutoff valve just before the siphon, so as not to
create back pressure on the outflow side.  Hope this is clear ...

Cheers!

--
 Bob Carter  -  bcarter@awinc.com
 Kootenay Bay, BC, Canada  -  Zone 6b
--

...ywercs lla og tsuj sgniht semitemoS
References:
Other Mailing lists | Author Index | Date Index | Subject Index | Thread Index