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soil Adding clam,oyster and mussell shells to garden soil

D

dragon49

I'm thinking about adding shells to my garden soil to add a natural source of calcium. 
 
The problem is that I don't have to tools to grind the shells into a powder and I am not going to use any resources to figure out how to grind them.  If I were to dig holes in the soil before planting the seedlings and add the shells, would this benefit the soil and the pepper plants?  Is there any harm in doing this?  I do plan on washing the shells thoroughly to eliminate any traces of salt.
 
Please advise.
 
Thanks
 
I'm wondering if smashing them into pieces with a hammer and mixing in with the soil would work?  I too am curious to see what others have to say. 
 
Plants need soluble calcium, and seashells are definitely not soluble. Some people use eggshells - they are easily ground into a fine powder - but with mixed results. If you don't want to use a high-calcium fertilizer (such as most any made for tomatoes), I would recommend trying the eggshell route.
 
Thanks as always.
 
I can always dump some Cal-Mag Plus into a watering can to get soluble calcium into the soil—I just thought it would be more fun this way.  I'm saving my eggshells to sprinkle on top of the soil to stop slugs—So maybe I'm adding a little soluble calcium anyway. :)
 
Most landscape places crush the shells for use in soil and gardens. I do not think they will do any harm but the benefit will also be minimal if any. Mussel and crabs shells are easily crushed. 
 
BurninBob said:
rookie question here - what are the benefits of adding calcium?
Click to expand...
These plants need lots of calcium just like tomatoes . If you don't have enough your pods will most likely develop BER.
 
These plants need lots of calcium just like tomatoes . If you don't have enough your pods will most likely develop BER.


ok thanks! another rookie question, what is BER?
 
Cal is in most soil already, the trick is unlocking it. Also the ability to take in Cal can be effected severely by salt content and PH of the soil.
 
Soil with a healthy food web naturally helps break down (decompose) plant matter, bone, and minerals to a absorb-able state of calcium. Adding Calcium is a good thing but should be done via composting in advance.
 
 
If you are in a pinch, (Need Cal ASAP) try something with Calcium Nitrate as it is one of the only forms of Calcium that is water soluble.
 
 
Some people say that Tums will work, which has an active ingredient "calcium carbonate" the same active ingredient of CalCarb by Xtreme Gardening... :shh:
xtreme-gardening.com/products/calcarb  I dont know how well this works but its worth a shot.
 
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