This is part of a series on Aquaponic Water Testing.
Boron deficiency can be seen as interveinal chlorosis of upper leaves, brittle leaves, and stunted growth. On celery, Boron deficiency is easily noticed as “cat-scratch” marks on the plant stems.
Boron levels in Aquaponics
Hoagland suggests a Boron level of 0.5ppm. Levels above 1ppm can be toxic to plants. Because of this, I greatly recommend testing your Boron levels before you supplement. Supplementing Boron without testing is a recipe for disaster!
Testing for Boron in Aquaponics
Unless you have a LaMotte Smart3 Photometer, the Hanna HI38074 is your only bet for measuring boron levels yourself.
- Hanna HI38074 (Resolution = 0.2ppm)
$65/100 = $0.65ea
I use this test kit, and if you can follow directions, you should be able to complete this titration. Includes a digital pH meter!
In this titration, one drop < 0.2ppm. That means if your result is 3 drops, your Boron reading is less than 0.6ppm.
- Taylor Technologies K-1541 (Resolution = 0.2ppm)
$180.50 - Salifert Boron Test (Resolution = 0.5ppm)
$29.46/25 = $1.18ea
For reef aquaria only, expects pH 8-8.6. Don’t use for Aquaponics! - LaMotte Smart3 + 4868 (0. 0-0.80, MDL .05)
$102@GlobalWater /50 = $2.04ea
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- Hach DR900 + 10252 (2 – 50; Resolution = 2.2ppm)
$289.95@Hach / 100 = $2.90ea
Gaseous Hydrochloric Acid forms when mixing reagent. Use Caution! Also, this method only has sufficient resolution when used with a spectrophotometer, such as the DR1900.
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- Hach DR1900 + 8015 (0.2 – 14.0)
$289.95 / 100 = $2.90ea
Gaseous Hydrochloric Acid forms when mixing reagent. Use Caution!
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- YSI 9500: Method discontinued
Know of another way of testing for Boron in Aquaponics? Let me know in the comments and I’ll update this post.