Foundations Series #1: Silicon in Plant Health & Stress Resistance with Dr. Wendy Zellner (Originally Episode 98)

Cannabis Cultivation and Science Podcast

Tad Hussey.

Grow, Leisure, Natural Sciences, Cannabis, Science, Cultivation, Gardening, Weed, Organics, Home & Garden, Growing, Marijuana

4.7 • 716 Ratings

🗓️ 10 February 2026

⏱️ 81 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode is part of the Foundations of Soil & Plant Science series — a curated set of conversations that still shape how I think about plant health and cultivation today. Originally released as Episode 98, this discussion with Dr. Wendy Zellner is a deep dive into silicon and its role in plant structure, stress resistance, and defense responses. We explore how silicon functions in plant physiology, common misconceptions around its use, and what growers should understand when incorporating silicon into fertility programs. Still one of the most thorough conversations we’ve had on this topic.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Over the years of doing this podcast, and more than 150 episodes now, there are certain conversations
0:06.6	I keep coming back to, and more importantly, ones I keep sending growers back to.
0:11.4	So instead of letting these get buried in the archive, I'm putting together a short series
0:15.9	of what I consider the foundations of soil and plant science.
0:19.9	These are episodes that still shape how I think
0:22.4	about fertility, microbiology, plant health, and cultivation systems today. Some of these were
0:28.5	recorded years ago, but the core ideas are just as relevant now. Honestly, probably more relevant
0:34.1	than when we first recorded them. I'll also add a little context at the beginning
0:38.3	of each episode where my thinking has evolved or where new research has come out, but otherwise,
0:43.5	these conversations really stand on their own. There are a few guests who have been on the
0:48.1	podcast multiple times over the years, people like Suzanne Wainwright Evans, the Bug Lady, as well as the soil doctor,
0:55.6	Bryant Mason, and Dr. Nadia Saba, Dr. Greenhouse. Those episodes are absolutely worth going back
1:02.5	and listening to if you haven't already. The only reason they're not featured in this
1:06.6	particular series is simply because there's so much good material spread across multiple
1:10.8	conversation that it was hard to pull just one. I'll also be releasing the full versions of
1:16.7	some of my supplementary podcasts I recorded for our Patreon back in 2023 around my thoughts
1:22.5	regarding the soil food web as well as a deeper dive into microisal fungi. If you're newer to the podcast, this is a
1:29.1	great place to start. And if you've been listening for years, these are conversations that are
1:33.4	worth revisiting. Let's get into it. I wanted to start this foundation series with a conversation
1:39.6	that really sets the tone for everything else we're going to cover. My interview with Dr. Wendy Zellner is one I still reference all the time
1:47.5	because there are very few things in plant science that are a silver bullet or too good to be
1:52.0	true. And silica happens to be just that. If you're not using silica in your garden,
	...

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