• Do you need help identifying a 🌶?
    Is your plant suffering from an unknown issue? 🤧
    Then ask in Identification and Diagnosis.

At what age do you start fertilizing?

RichardK said:
Bone meal is providing calcium, give them Lime or Dolomite, I like Dolomite since it's cheap, also contains magnesium and can be found at just about everywhere, even Wal-Mart.
Click to expand...

I already have some calcium carbonate and lime, but I use those to RAISE the pH level. I don't want to actually raise the pH level I just want to get rid of the leafs that are bumpy and not flat between the veins and read that I need bone meal on this link.

http://www.ecoseeds.com/Pepper.growing.tips.html

I also have a couple of plants that are rolled up very tight and seem to have "leaf curl"?? Not sure if raising the pH level will fix that?
 
Don't trust much in ecoseeds. They say not to use peat at all, and the tepin is the world's hottest pepper according to their "dremman's scale":)

I don't know why they would suggest bone-meal and not just any form of calcium. I think you probably need magnesium and likely some nitrogen
 
POTAWIE said:
Don't trust much in ecoseeds. They say not to use peat at all, and the tepin is the world's hottest pepper according to their "dremman's scale":)

I don't know why they would suggest bone-meal and not just any form of calcium. I think you probably need magnesium and likely some nitrogen
Click to expand...

Thanks for the help. I looked up bone meal and it only has a tiny amount of Calcium, but is a steady source of Phosphorus which is probably why they suggested that instead of just saying calcium. Here is the info on Bone Meal.

"Bone Meal (1-11-0) is a first rate, steady source of Phosphorus ('P'). It has a tiny amount of Nitrogen ('N') as well as Calcium ('Ca') and a speck of Potassium ('K'). It supports strong flowers and roots. It contains about 27% total phosphate, and nearly all of that is available. There is a great deal of confusion about the phosphate content of bone meal because much of it is sold as a feed additive. You can mix Bone Meal into the soil of any shrub, flowering or not. It is important to mix it into the soil because the nutrients cannot travel far to the roots; mixing it in will make that journey shorter and disperse the Bone Meal better."
Click to expand...


The problem with adding lime or just calcium is the change in pH it will cause and that's not what I want. Although it may fix the leaf curl issue, it may also cause another problem after the pH swing.

If bone meal which is high in Phosphorus isn't the fix does anyone know exactly what will help with leaf curl? I'm hesitant on using anything that will cause a pH swing, but also don't want to use bone meal if ecoseeds isn't correct either. :oops:
 
Lime will neutralize acidity but should not make it swing, and dolomitic lime will give extra magnesium. Have you been using epsom salts or magnesium at all for the leaf curl?
 
POTAWIE said:
Lime will neutralize acidity but should not make it swing, and dolomitic lime will give extra magnesium. Have you been using epsom salts or magnesium at all for the leaf curl?
Click to expand...

I haven't used anything yet and I don't want to use lime or dolomitic lime at all because it will increase TDS and raise my pH both which I'm trying and avoid.
 
LGHT said:
I just want to get rid of the leafs that are bumpy and not flat between the veins and read that I need bone meal on this link.

http://www.ecoseeds.com/Pepper.growing.tips.html

I also have a couple of plants that are rolled up very tight and seem to have "leaf curl"?? Not sure if raising the pH level will fix that?
Click to expand...

What do you think the Calcium does? Gets rid of the bumps, and the Magnesium is going to get rid of the leaf curl.

If you dont want to raise the pH instead of using lime use Dolomite, it's a pH Buffer and contains both Calcium to help with the bumpy leaves, and Magnesium to help with the curling.
 
RichardK said:
If you dont want to raise the pH instead of using lime use Dolomite, it's a pH Buffer and contains both Calcium to help with the bumpy leaves, and Magnesium to help with the curling.
Click to expand...

Not sure if you realize it or not, but if I put dolomite into my soil it will raise the pH, by a full point. So if my pH is at 5.3 it will end up being 6.3 after adding dolomite. :oops: Not the result i'm looking for.
 
LGHT said:
Not sure if you realize it or not, but if I put dolomite into my soil it will raise the pH, by a full point. So if my pH is at 5.3 it will end up being 6.3 after adding dolomite. :oops: Not the result i'm looking for.
Click to expand...

5.3? Thats WAY to low! Thats Venus Fly Trap territory! For peppers 6.5 is ideal, thats probably why you have a calcium and magnesium deficiency!

And Dolomite will not raise pH as much as normal lime. If you want ignore everyone trying to help you and keep your soil too acidic with all the nutrient problems, then be my guest.

Foliar feeding will only do so much, eventually you are going to have to put some calcium and magnesium in the soil and raise that pH to healthy levels.
 
RichardK said:
5.3? Thats WAY to low! Thats Venus Fly Trap territory! For peppers 6.5 is ideal, thats probably why you have a calcium and magnesium deficiency!
Click to expand...

I never said my soil was 5.3 I was using that as an example based on an research article lol.. Hint the word "IF".

I'm not ignoring everyone's advice I'm just trying to find the BEST solution without causing MORE problems. Now lets say my soil is already 6.3 and I follow your suggestion and add dolomite. Since it DOES raise pH level I will now be at 7.3 and will have a much more series problem then crinkled leaves. :shocked:

I'm very new and admit I know little or nothing about growing peppers, but I do know if I use your suggested solution it will raise my pH and that's not my goal. The goal is to figure out why the leaves are bumpy and treat that issue not raise pH. I found several articles that suggest going with bone meal so i'll do that as it also contains calcium, but will NOT raise my pH.

Thanks for the help
 
Bone Meal has high phosphorus content, and where do you get the idea that Dolomite will raise your pH by one? You only need a tiny amount to give the plants what they need.

Sure if you over do it, the pH will go up, but Calcium and Magnesium are not needed in large quantities.
 
There are different kinds of dolomitic lime but the stuff made for gardening is neutral, around Ph 7

"Its worth pointing out that what is sold as Dolomite lime is actually powdered dolomite rock with no heat treatment, therefore it is only neutral to very mildly alkaline. Dolomite will shift soil pH from acid to neutral, or from neutral to slightly alkaline, but not alkaline. For that you require slaked lime, which has been roasted at high temperature to drive off the acid carbon dioxide and leave the basic Calcium oxide. This is sold as builders lime, because when mixed into a paste it reabsorbs CO2 from the air and slowly sets to form limestone once more.
In many case dolomite is added to soil to provide magnesium to plants. Magnesium is an essential trace element, the chlorophyll molecule is based around a central magnesium atom."
http://www.rollitup.org/organics/174801-ph-dolomite-lime.html
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top