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We Worry to much!

I couldn't agree more. If I had a dollar for every thread name that includes "Calcium", I would have a lot of dollars! If there is one thing I have learned it is unless they are on death's doorstep (which you will DEFINITELY know), leave em the hell alone. To each his own, but my plants always seem much happier when I am not trying to kill them....

I second the coffee.

Then someone should post a thread about how to know if it's calcium deficiency or whatever else. There are a lot of people out there that say lack of calcium causes bumps on the leaves, etc. including a well known respected seed company here.
If that is not true then show us why.
 
Missed my point. I am just of the opinion that less is better. I am sure bumps on the leaves are a sign of calcium deficiency (your reputable seed company probably knows their stuff), but my question is have you ever seems a plant die from a few bumps on their leaves? I generally go by this to see if I am in need of a fix (http://www.420magazine.com/forums/problems-pests-disease-control/81275-cannabis-plant-pest-problem-solver-pictorial.html). It is not the end all be all, they arguably are much more "invested" than most of us.

I just have had a ton of issues in the past chasing the "calcium" rabbit. It turned out that I was overwatering and by force feeding them synthetic nutes all I did was kill a bunch and hurt the survivors. They have since bounced back beautifully, and it is because I dropped the synthetic crap and left em alone. Sure, some have some bumps, sure some look a little rough. But they are putting out growth every day and recover from the minor "glitches" even faster.

Keep growing the way that works for you, this is just my .02
 
Very nicely stated Gold. The best remedy in most cases I have sen here is less watering , less chemical, and more patience.

Plants hae been growing for eons without human interferfence, many time WE are the problem, the plant wants to grow and produce, WE inhibit it with our attention.

Less is more
 
Missed my point. I am just of the opinion that less is better. I am sure bumps on the leaves are a sign of calcium deficiency (your reputable seed company probably knows their stuff), but my question is have you ever seems a plant die from a few bumps on their leaves? I generally go by this to see if I am in need of a fix (http://www.420magazi...-pictorial.html). It is not the end all be all, they arguably are much more "invested" than most of us.

I just have had a ton of issues in the past chasing the "calcium" rabbit. It turned out that I was overwatering and by force feeding them synthetic nutes all I did was kill a bunch and hurt the survivors. They have since bounced back beautifully, and it is because I dropped the synthetic crap and left em alone. Sure, some have some bumps, sure some look a little rough. But they are putting out growth every day and recover from the minor "glitches" even faster.

Keep growing the way that works for you, this is just my .02

I didn't miss your point at all Matt and I am actually in agreement with you. ;)
Like I said before these are only peppers not a crop of high value.
 
Then someone should post a thread about how to know if it's calcium deficiency or whatever else. There are a lot of people out there that say lack of calcium causes bumps on the leaves, etc. including a well known respected seed company here.
If that is not true then show us why.

HABANERO_needs_bonemeal.JPG
 
I work at a Dennys as an RM and recently had my coooks save a 5 gallon bucket of egg shells because I thought my plants had calcium deficiency. Well I ended up leaving it there over my weekend and noticed that the leaves started to come back to their healthy selves. Had I brought it home with me I probably would have broken them down and added some epsom to them and spritz the living hell out of them. Outside of the lost leaves due to sun damage they're right where they're supposed to be. Bright green and full of life with no sign of deficiency with a ton of new growth coming.
 
I work at a Dennys as an RM and recently had my coooks save a 5 gallon bucket of egg shells because I thought my plants had calcium deficiency. Well I ended up leaving it there over my weekend and noticed that the leaves started to come back to their healthy selves. Had I brought it home with me I probably would have broken them down and added some epsom to them and spritz the living hell out of them. Outside of the lost leaves due to sun damage they're right where they're supposed to be. Bright green and full of life with no sign of deficiency with a ton of new growth coming.

Nice! Glad they bounced back!
 
I don't think there is any evidence or reliable information showing that bumpy leaves are caused by calcium deficiency. I've spent plenty of time looking, and have read a few books on nutrients and plants and have never seen anything. Calcium deficiencies are characterized by cholorosis of new leaves, new leaves being distorted or hook shaped, and new growth slowing or stopping, and stunted roots. The bumpy leaf thing pretty much only happens in chinenses, so I think it's more a genetic characteristic than lack of nutrients. It think it's probably exacerbated by high nitrogen levels, probably the leaf tissue growing faster than the ribs and veins of the leaves. When people post these pictures of lush plants with huge hunter green leaves that are bumpy and say it's calcium deficiency, I kind of laugh a little. Those plants aren't lacking for anything, and probably have too many nutrients if anything. The textbook symptoms of calcium deficiency are usually nowhere to be found. I would bet that the people with bumpy leaves have been feeding their plants more than those without it. Just leaving the plants alone for a while and focusing on good watering practices would probably be the best bet.

I find it really hard to believe that everyone's 6 inch tall plants in new potting mix are deficient in calcium, and if they are, it's probably not for a lack of calcium in the potting mix. I've had 8 inch tall plants in Pro-Mix that received absolutely nothing other than the tiny amount of nutrients already in it and they didn't show any deficiency symptoms of any kind. Over 85% of homes in the US have hard water with a lot of calcium in it too. But if you get on THP, everyone and their mother's plants are supposedly calcium deficient. Also, I'm not sure how adding some bone meal is going to help anything, since bone meal takes a very long time to become available to plants, and needs bacteria to break it down, bacteria which are probably not present in any substantial amount in potting mix. If the plants were actually screaming for calcium, they would probably be screaming for something that is faster acting and more bio available.
 
I didn't want to burst anyones bubble, but I've been hinting at this for years on here. So many people asking about cal mag...lol
I always read these threads like ??? "Where have they been told that cal def causes bumpy leaves?"
 
I mostly just worry about things like storms and hail. Last summer a tornado touched down a few blocks from my house. I knew my wife was at work, so the first thing I thought was "I hope my garden is okay!" My house itself never crossed my mind. The garden and house were both fine when I got home.

But yeah, you don't need 15 different fancy products applied every week to grow anything. All I've ever done was add compost and aged manure to my garden and let it do it's thing. That's what my mom did, and that's what my grandfather did for many many years. They both had beautiful gardens. I've never even added lime to my garden. Tons of people add lime every single year just because they think it's the thing to do. I finally tested my soil ph for the first time ever this year. Turns out lime would have probably just threw my ph out of whack.

I've messed around with "test plants" several times while growing seedlings indoors, adding this and that at different strengths and such. I've never had any "test plants" do any better than the ones that just get water and a very mild feeding every now and then. Actually, the "test plants" usually don't even make the final cut at plant out.
 
The difference between....

Playing around with plants and feeding them "this and that" in an attempt to boost growth and production:

IMG_6940.jpg


And just leaving them alone and letting them do their thing:

IMG_6843.jpg


Ironically, the plants I treat with "love" in an attempt to get the best out of them never end up doing so well!

I've had to learn this the hard way but I'm getting there.....
 
I don't think there is any evidence or reliable information showing that bumpy leaves are caused by calcium deficiency. I've spent plenty of time looking, and have read a few books on nutrients and plants and have never seen anything. Calcium deficiencies are characterized by cholorosis of new leaves, new leaves being distorted or hook shaped, and new growth slowing or stopping, and stunted roots.

So would you consider this plant as having hook shaped and distorted?

AlmostHome041.jpg
 
"Severe need for bonemeal, needed by pepper plants. Leaves should be flat between the veins. When these plants were fertilized, within a week, they grew another foot and the leaves flattened out."

"The benefits to the plants will not be immediate, but the nutrients from slow-release organicfertilizers like bonemeal are released little by little over time and are constantly available for your fast-growing vegetable plants.


[background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]Not trying to start waves but the first statement is from the website of ECOSEEDS, and the second is from an EHow. I know, I know, EHow is not an authority in growing, but I argue they probably aren't in the business of making stuff up.[/background]​


[background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]So, based on the fact that bonemeal (unless it is a liquid version) is a slow release fertilizer, how does the plant turn around in a week after being fed by a slow release fert?[/background]​


On a separate but similar note, it is nice that we can all debate a topic without anyone flipping out and shooting up the office with their uzi....I usually have to give people candy to avoid getting executed in their I HATE (INSERT COMPANY) shootout.
 
"Severe need for bonemeal, needed by pepper plants. Leaves should be flat between the veins. When these plants were fertilized, within a week, they grew another foot and the leaves flattened out."

People attribute plant growth to all kinds of things, including playing music for them and talking to them.

As far as Eco seeds goes, apparently they are a reputable company to order seeds from, but if you read that site a lot of the growing information is a little whacky and off the wall. I would not by any means consider them a reputable authority on horticulture. Some examples from their pepper growing guide...

NEVER, NEVER, NEVER ever use peat pots, peat pellets, or potting soil that is mostly peat.
Everyone always asks "Why??" ---We don't know---It may be that the peat is too acidic, or that there is something in peat that inhibits pepper seed germination.


NEVER EVER EVER germinate seeds in peat based potting mixes? How many people here germinate hundreds of seeds at 85%+ germinate rates every single year in Pro-Mix? I've germinated seeds in at least 4 or 5 different peat based potting mixes and never had any problems with any of them.

HOT PEPPERS always take a lot longer, a minimum of 15 days

A "minimum?" Maybe an average of 15 days, but definitely not minimum.

--Habaneros always take a minimum of 18-25 days.
--Bhut Jolokia, take a minimum of 20-30 days.

I've had habaneros and bhut jolokias pop in 6 days. This year I had quite a few chocolate bhut jolokias up in 6-7 days.

FERTILIZERS: Watering pepper seeds with a fertilizer solution, helps speed seed germination, by breaking a natural dormancy that is naturally in some pepper seeds.

All the the energy needed to germinate is in the cotyledons. Fertilizer has no effect on germinating times or breaking dormancy. They recommend germinating in MG Orchid Mix or Miracle Grow organic, both of which already contain quite a bit of fertilizer (and the latter of which is an awful potting mix), and then adding 1 tablespoon/gallon of Miracle Grow fertilizer on top of that, before the seeds are even sprouted. At best all that fertilizer will not help, and is likely to cause problems.

YOUR PLANT MAKES FLOWERS BUT NO FRUIT?Most hot peppers and some sweet peppers require insect pollination to form fruit

Pepper plants are self fertile, they do NOT require insects for pollination.

This is the same company that claims that the tepin is the hottest pepper in the world.

"The benefits to the plants will not be immediate, but the nutrients from slow-release organicfertilizers like bonemeal are released little by little over time and are constantly available for your fast-growing vegetable plants.

[background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]Read more: Can Bonemeal Be Used As a Vegetable Fertilizer? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/...l#ixzz1vNGxYfao"[/background]

The same article, the sentence before that says: "The nutrients present in bonemeal are insoluble in water. They must be converted into a form that plants can use by the microorganisms in the soil. This takes time."

[background=rgb(255, 255, 255)]So, based on the fact that bonemeal (unless it is a liquid version) is a slow release fertilizer, how does the plant turn around in a week after being fed by a slow release fert?[/background]

The plant looked fine to begin with, and it seems to be something that plants grow out of anyway (see habaneroheat81's post). I get chinenses with bumpy leaves from time to time and it never hurts growth or production or really causes in any problems. It generally goes away on it's own if I don't give the plant anything for a while, which is what makes me thinks it's excess nitrogen combined with genetics. It happens a lot less frequently now vs. in the past when I was an OCD newbie thinking I had to constantly give plants this and that.to get them to grow well.
 
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