Silicon is the second most abundant element on earth, and eight most abundant in the universe, so why in the world would you need to add any to your soil? Well, almost all of the silicon on earth is in the form of quartz or sand which is not plant available. The form that can be taken up by plants is monosilicic acid. Plant Tuff provides monosilicic acid, and helps replenish the Silicon that has been taken out of the soil, but has not been replaced over the years.
USDA Silicon Research
Dr. Wendy Zellner of the USDA, one of the leading silicon researchers, has been cleared by the USDA to start calling Silicon an essential plant nutrient. Many people do not realize how much Silicon they are removing from their soils. Dr. Zellner has come up with very conservative figures for how many pounds per acre of silicon is being removed from Midwest soils.
| Avg. | Corn | Wheat | Potato | Barley | Oat | Soy | Dry Beans | |
| Michigan | 28.6 | 67.6 | 44.4 | 37.0 | 25.4 | 22.1 | 2.6 | 1.2 |
| Ohio | 33.9 | 73.9 | 44.4 | 28.0 | n.d. | 20.2 | 3.2 | n.d. |
| U.S. | 28.7 | 71.8 | 26.2 | 42.6 | 24.7 | 21.7 | 2.7 | 1.1 |
While these are very conservative numbers, it shows how much silicon is being removed from soils each year. The silicon being removed without being replaced. In one ton of Plant Tuff Silicon pHertilizer™ there is at least 80 pounds of silicon. This helps replenish the soil with silicon, which is being removed year after year without being replaced.