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It turns out, supplementing silicon has been widely studied and plant specific testing has been conducted for many crops. According to this research, there are numerous benefits to boosting silicon in plants. Early studies focused on drought resistance and the increase in dry harvest weights of corn, rice, and wheat. Researchers found that increasing silicon increased plants' water uptake efficiency by 30%, which provided broad, if difficult to quantify, resistance to drought. They also noticed that plants were better able to handle both heat and cold stress without showing signs of damage for moderate exposure. Given the heat stress potential of most indoor grows, this last benefit alone puts silicon on the top of my nutrient list.
