Dyna-Gro ProTeKt Directions For Use
Congratulations. Your plants will thank you for this one. Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt liquid silicon supplement is nature's secret weapon that our indoor plants can't get - until now. Think of silicon as your plant's bodyguard. Bigger. Stronger. Ready to Fight. Silicon equals strength. Stronger roots, stems and leaves. Broader stems to better absorb and transport precious nutrients to where they're needed. A stronger defence system. Ready and waiting to defend against attack, including biting and sucking insects, as well as resisting the spread of nasty fungal diseases. Check the directions for use below, or find out more about silicon and what it does for your plants >
Like most plant foods, directions for use change based on how you want to use it and how often you feed. Keep in mind when any plant food gives you a range, go for the higher dose when your plant's actively growing, or are fast growers, and the lower dose for maintenance, in winter, for plants that aren't actively growing, or for slow growers.
*Important* If you feed twice as often, don't double the dose! Keep the dose the same instead and double the water.
Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt Directions for Use
*Super important*
Pro-Tekt cleverly keeps silicon in an easily-absorbed liquid form using a high pH concentrate base. But most plant foods are low pH. Always make sure you mix Pro-Tekt with water to dilute it first, BEFORE adding other fertilisers, foods or tonics (like Foliage Pro). Otherwise Pro-Tekt will turn back into a lump of silica gel! I find it best to mix Pro-Tekt with about 3/4 of the water you're going to use, give it a good stir, add your fertiliser, then add the last 1/4 of water and feed.
I mix 1ml of Pro-Tekt in with 1 litre of water, give it a mix, add 1ml of Foliage Pro, then add the remaining half a litre of water. That way I keep the same 1 ml per 1.5 litre dose for both products - but by all means have a play and find out what works best for you and your plants.
General maintenance - 1 ml per 1.5 litres
This is the dose I use every time I water, which is weekly on average in summer and fortnightly in winter. I add 1ml of Dyna-Gro's Foliage Pro complete food also. If you want to protect your plants at all times, the 1ml per 1.5 litre dose is the way to go.
If some of your precious plants are on the thirsty side, and you have to feed more often than weekly, keep the dose the same but double your water, making it 1ml per 3 litres for more frequent use.
Monthly feeding - 2 to 4 ml per litre
If you find it simpler to feed everyone once a month, use this rate. 20ml to 40ml per 10 litres - which is 2 to 4ml per litre. I'd tend to go for the lower dose (2/20) unless a plant's under stress. To find out what types of stress Pro-TeKt helps protect from, refer to silicon and what it does for your plants >
Hydro and Leca: 1m per 1.5 litres
If you have a recirculating hydroponics system, go for 5 to 10 ml per 4 litres. But for non-recirculating systems - like hydro in still water, and for leca - use the same level as general maintenance, above: 1 ml per 1.5 litres.
Note it's recommended to change the water weekly for non-recirculating hydro and leca to keep the water chemistry and nutrients balanced. If you're doing twice weekly water changes, keep the dose the same but double the water, so that's 1 ml per 3 litres.
Foliar feeding (misting & spraying): 1 ml per litre
Dyna-Gro Pro-TeKt is suitable for foliar feeding (a fancy name for watering fertiliser on to leaves instead of into soil).
Mix 1/2 to 1ml per litre of Foliage-Pro in your spray bottle or mister (choose the dose to match the plant's needs), and water all leaves until they drip. I like to foliar feed in the morning so it dries on the leaf surface during the day. A portable potting mat is superb to put down when foliar feeding too to protect surrounding surfaces from excess spray.
Foliar feeding doesn't make up for nutrients lacking in the soil though, so I wouldn't recommend foliar feeding on the regular, but if there's a temporary insect or fungal attach you want to help your plant fight off fast, foliar or leaf feeding definitely has its place.