Does this need calcium?

[WhamGenetics]

So this little guy is doing a great job of making peppers and growing in this little 3 inch cup, but I'm wondering if it has a nutrient deficiency? Does it need calcium? Is there a bio-available source of calcium around my house? What if I give it a little milk?

 

[meinchoh]

"If it ain't broke don't fix it."

 

[WhamGenetics]

Well it dropped a handful of leaves and new leaves grow a bit bumpy/curly. It's growing new leaves and flowers are blooming and pods are coming. So you think it's just fine and I should stick to the MG veggy formula like I have been.

I would be happy for it to not need anything and to keep making pods, it's a cool little plant.

 

[NattyPepper]

1. I have leaves on my plant like that and was wondering what it was, I hope this helps out both of us.

 

[geeme]

The leaf in the top pic in the upper-left corner looks like it's getting a touch of fertilizer burn - that's the bumpy/curly look you describe. Back off on the ferts a bit. Does it need calcium? IMO - YES. It isn't necessarily deficient at this point, but peppers need calcium to help ward off BER (blossom-end rot). It's kind of like the "an apple a day keeps the doctor away" thing - give it a touch of calcium BEFORE you get BER. Milk? I've never heard of anyone giving a plant milk. Doesn't mean it won't work, just means I haven't heard of it. I use Botanicare's CalMag, and my plants love it.

 

[standbyandfire]

Put that bad boy in a bigger pot too. You want that root ball to have more space. She will love it.

 

[Adam]

Put that bad boy in a bigger pot too. You want that root ball to have more space. She will love it.

+1

 

[WalkGood]

So this little guy is doing a great job of making peppers and growing in this little 3 inch cup, but I'm wondering if it has a nutrient deficiency? Does it need calcium?

While I don't know if it needs calcium or not, I'd follow standbyandfire's response below ...

Is there a bio-available source of calcium around my house? What if I give it a little milk?

Egg shells, I crush these up and put in all my soil mixes. I also add them to the top soil on potted peppers/plants for my calcium needs.

Put that bad boy in a bigger pot too. You want that root ball to have more space. She will love it.

+1 I completely agree, I've had peppers that looked worse and once transplanted they snap back into shape ... don't forget to add loads of egg shells when you transplant it

 

[standbyandfire]

If you do go to a bigger pot, trim the longer roots from the rootball so it is even with the rest. It will make for a stonger rootball and a better growing plant into your season.

You don't want root wrap my friend.

 

[Trini]

What variety is that plant......looks like a cherry pepper from trinidad that I have

 

[WhamGenetics]

Thank you for all the responses, I'll try the egg shells. Is that really free calcium? Does the calcium carbonate disassociate, seems like that would require an acid.

It's a white bullet Hab

 

[WalkGood]

Thank you for all the responses, I'll try the egg shells. Is that really free calcium?

No not free, you do have to pay for the eggs unless you steal them (sarcasm)

Does the calcium carbonate disassociate, seems like that would require an acid.

Yes it does disassociate over time. If you want to speed up the process you can grind to a powder or soak shells in vinegar, but I'd rather not use vinegar in my plants.

I save all fresh egg shells to give to my peppers over time. From all I’ve read there’s two schools of thought, one says to remove the membrane from the inside of the egg shell and the second says to leave it in. I’ve been using egg shells for years, so I’ve tried both and honestly have never noticed any difference, so I leave mine as it's a PITA to take out. But when putting it around the top soil under larger plants I'll throw it away after a few days when I see its loosened up. You can also dry out the egg shells and when you get enough, you can grind them in a food processor. This makes a fine powder that you can mix with water or just sprinkle into the soil. Good luck …

This information below is quoted from here, while there its about human consumption the elements would be the same for your plants

… One whole medium sized eggshell makes about one teaspoon of powder, which yields about 750 - 800 mgs of elemental* calcium plus other microelements, i.e. magnesium, boron, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, sulphur, silicon, zinc, etc. There are 27 elements in total. The composition of an eggshell is very similar to that of our bones and teeth ...

You can also find interesting information on the net.