What is Magnesium ppm and meq/L?
- Magnesium ppm (mg/L): This tells you how many milligrams of magnesium are in one liter of water or soil solution. For example, 24 ppm means there are 24 milligrams of magnesium in one liter.
- Magnesium meq/L: This tells you the amount of magnesium in terms of its chemical charge or reactive capacity per liter. Since magnesium has a charge, this measurement helps understand how it will react with other elements or nutrients in soil or water.
Why convert from ppm to meq/L?
- Farmers often need meq/L to balance soil nutrients properly.
- meq/L helps in understanding how much magnesium is available to plants chemically, not just by weight.
- It’s essential for making decisions about fertilization and soil treatment.
How to convert Magnesium ppm to Magnesium meq/L?
The formula is:
Magnesium (meq/L)=Magnesium (ppm)/Equivalent weight of Magnesium
Where:
- Magnesium atomic weight = 24 g/mol
- Magnesium valence (charge) = 2
- Equivalent weight = Atomic weight / valence = 24 / 2 = 12
So,
Magnesium (meq/L)=Magnesium (ppm)/12
Example:
If your water has 24 ppm magnesium,
Magnesium (meq/L)=24/12 =2 meq/L
You can find more agriculture conversion calculators here.