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When to apply calcium...
- Thread starter AjarnV
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Plants need calcium throughout their growth/fruiting cycle and if your mix needs it there's no time like the present. 
Calcium is critical in the flowering and fruiting stages. It is however, the changeover period that is most critical that will determine the quality of the final reproductive stage. At this stage, an additional nutrient is badly needed by the plant. And this is calcium phosphate, Calcium phosphate is good for the plants "morning sickness". It is the stage that additional baby needs to be fed or the process where flower/fruit is about to come.
egg shell is great for this the above is a quote. from Gil A. Carandang
egg shell is great for this the above is a quote. from Gil A. Carandang
Plants need calcium throughout their growth/fruiting cycle and if your mix needs it there's no time like the present.
My mix needs it; thanks.
It was your recipe that I followed; thanks for the additional info.
Is calcium chloride a good way to deliver calcium to the plant? I want to mix it in water for a foliar spray, but not sure of what concentration to use. I don't want to use egg shells, nobody here eats eggs. I have pelletized lime but not sure how much to use, and it's too late to work it into the soil. The only way I can think of is to add some in a pile at the base of the plant but I don't know how much to use. Seems like it would take a long time to dissolve. Anyone have some advice on this?
I would not use CaCl.
CaCO3 is available in a ton of forms. I used oyster-shell precipitate (Kirkland/Costco-brand Calcium supplement pills, like vitamins) that I have kicking around the house. Three of those to a pint of water (saturated/suspended solution), and a teaspoon of Epsom Salts (for Mg) and my plants are happy campers. I used it in the stage where the side leaves and buds were small, before the plants really began to add foliage.
Other sources of Ca - bonemeal, powdered lime, chalk, etc. These are slower to be taken-up by the plant (lower solubility in water). Tums and chalk can be used just as the oyster-shell precipitate, direct application of a solution/suspension to the soil if you've established your soil and plants.
I do have powdered chalk. I use it for brewing, but in that application I notice it is not really possible to dissolve it in water as you said. Did you just add the three oyster precipitate to the water then water the plant with it?
Would it be better to add a heap of bonemeal to the base of the plant than do this? How much per plant? They range from about 5 to 18 inches tall right now.
I used bonemeal right at the base (would have taken a ton to mix in the soil for the raised beds). A tbs, when they were younger. I don't think that had as big an effect as the watering with the calcium supplement did, and yes, I simply watered around the stem.
Calcium is an essential nutrient in building strong cell walls. Peppers are often deficient in calcium. This deficiency causes their stems to be weak, and flower drop. The leaves will show signs of yellowing. The best way to diminish calcium deficiency is to get the calcium right to the plant via foiler feeding.
The most natural way for plants to get the mineral nutrients they need is to take them up through the roots, dissolved in the water available in their growing medium. However some plants may not get enough calcium through the roots because there isn’t enough calcium dissolved in the growing medium solution, or there isn’t enough water moving through the plant. Peppers need a balanced fertilizer solution containing all the essential nutrients, including calcium. Many of the soluble fertilizers like 20-10-20 or 15-5-25 alone do not supply calcium. Supplement these fertilizers with other fertilizers like 15-0-5, 20-0-20, 15-5-15, 15-0-0 or 15.5-0-0 (calcium nitrate) which are good sources of calcium. Other sources of calcium are dolomite, limestone or gypsum that may be pre-mixed with the growing medium.
Calcium deficiency situations may also occur when the roots are inactive and very little water is moving through the plant. When there is little air movement or the relative humidity is high, the plants use less water and take up fewer nutrients. This may lead to a calcium deficiency.
It is good practice to apply calcium as a fertilizer to the root zone and ensure that the environment provides for rapid movement of water through the plant. However, these practices do not always guarantee that the calcium will reach the regions of cell development fast enough to prevent problems. For me I have decided to just foiler feed my plants to ensure they will always have more than they need without having to adjust the ferts due to fast or slower water movement through the plant. Leafs and branches absorb calcium and other nutrients directly into the cells at a rate of about 60% faster then when root feeding avoiding any delay or deficiency to the area needed.
How to Spray Calcium
Mix a water solution containing 200 to 400 ppm calcium from calcium chloride.
Put the solution in a clean sprayer that has not been used for herbicides or other toxic substances.
Spray the plants with a fine mist, only until the leaf or bract surface glistens.
Weekly applications seem to be frequent enough to provide the needed calcium for rapidly expanding leaves.
Important Notes
Calcium solutions may be sprayed on young stock plants as well as the flowering plants. Foliar sprays help prevent leaf edge burn, intensify leaf color and encourage stronger growth.
Use only enough spray to provide a fine mist as you want to prevent the spray solution from “beading-up” on the leaf surface. Soft water will require less spray than hard water. To avoid possible leaf distortion, do not use water which has been treated with phosphoric acid. I ONLY use water directly from my fish tank as it's already oxygenated, and treated.
Spray plants when the growing medium is moist and plants are not wilted or showing stress. Spray when temperatures are less than 80°F/26°C to prevent burn. It is usually safer to spray in early morning since late afternoon spraying may not allow the plants to dry before nightfall.
Make calcium solutions from calcium chloride (CaCl2). Fertilizer grade calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) or liquid calcium preparations used for foliar feeding You should use refined grades of calcium chloride known as “laboratory” or “reagent” grade. Calcium chloride is available in the dihydrate or anhydrous forms; dihydrate is usually less expensive. Fertilizer grades of calcium chloride may contain enough impurities to burn the leaves. Horticulture grade calcium nitrate has also been used without causing injury to plants.
To mix a 1.5 gallon batch using Calcium Chloride Dihydrate CaCl2 o 2H2O use 1/4 oz. which would give you a spray at 324 ppm.
To mix a 1.5 gallon batch using Calcium Chloride Anhydrous CaCl2 use 5.32 grams which would give you a spray at 350 ppm
The most natural way for plants to get the mineral nutrients they need is to take them up through the roots, dissolved in the water available in their growing medium. However some plants may not get enough calcium through the roots because there isn’t enough calcium dissolved in the growing medium solution, or there isn’t enough water moving through the plant. Peppers need a balanced fertilizer solution containing all the essential nutrients, including calcium. Many of the soluble fertilizers like 20-10-20 or 15-5-25 alone do not supply calcium. Supplement these fertilizers with other fertilizers like 15-0-5, 20-0-20, 15-5-15, 15-0-0 or 15.5-0-0 (calcium nitrate) which are good sources of calcium. Other sources of calcium are dolomite, limestone or gypsum that may be pre-mixed with the growing medium.
Calcium deficiency situations may also occur when the roots are inactive and very little water is moving through the plant. When there is little air movement or the relative humidity is high, the plants use less water and take up fewer nutrients. This may lead to a calcium deficiency.
It is good practice to apply calcium as a fertilizer to the root zone and ensure that the environment provides for rapid movement of water through the plant. However, these practices do not always guarantee that the calcium will reach the regions of cell development fast enough to prevent problems. For me I have decided to just foiler feed my plants to ensure they will always have more than they need without having to adjust the ferts due to fast or slower water movement through the plant. Leafs and branches absorb calcium and other nutrients directly into the cells at a rate of about 60% faster then when root feeding avoiding any delay or deficiency to the area needed.
How to Spray Calcium
Mix a water solution containing 200 to 400 ppm calcium from calcium chloride.
Put the solution in a clean sprayer that has not been used for herbicides or other toxic substances.
Spray the plants with a fine mist, only until the leaf or bract surface glistens.
Weekly applications seem to be frequent enough to provide the needed calcium for rapidly expanding leaves.
Important Notes
Calcium solutions may be sprayed on young stock plants as well as the flowering plants. Foliar sprays help prevent leaf edge burn, intensify leaf color and encourage stronger growth.
Use only enough spray to provide a fine mist as you want to prevent the spray solution from “beading-up” on the leaf surface. Soft water will require less spray than hard water. To avoid possible leaf distortion, do not use water which has been treated with phosphoric acid. I ONLY use water directly from my fish tank as it's already oxygenated, and treated.
Spray plants when the growing medium is moist and plants are not wilted or showing stress. Spray when temperatures are less than 80°F/26°C to prevent burn. It is usually safer to spray in early morning since late afternoon spraying may not allow the plants to dry before nightfall.
Make calcium solutions from calcium chloride (CaCl2). Fertilizer grade calcium nitrate (Ca(NO3)2) or liquid calcium preparations used for foliar feeding You should use refined grades of calcium chloride known as “laboratory” or “reagent” grade. Calcium chloride is available in the dihydrate or anhydrous forms; dihydrate is usually less expensive. Fertilizer grades of calcium chloride may contain enough impurities to burn the leaves. Horticulture grade calcium nitrate has also been used without causing injury to plants.
To mix a 1.5 gallon batch using Calcium Chloride Dihydrate CaCl2 o 2H2O use 1/4 oz. which would give you a spray at 324 ppm.
To mix a 1.5 gallon batch using Calcium Chloride Anhydrous CaCl2 use 5.32 grams which would give you a spray at 350 ppm
Thats an awesome post LGHT! Thanks for all the info.
Just curious though, out where I work, the water is contains a helluvva lotta calcium (the water urns calcify to point of not working within a couple of weeks), do you think that would be a good source of calcium or not? People use it on they're chillies out there and doesn't seem to make much difference (compared to what I don't know, coz it's the only water source out there)in leaf size/width or over all well being of the plants.
Just curious though, out where I work, the water is contains a helluvva lotta calcium (the water urns calcify to point of not working within a couple of weeks), do you think that would be a good source of calcium or not? People use it on they're chillies out there and doesn't seem to make much difference (compared to what I don't know, coz it's the only water source out there)in leaf size/width or over all well being of the plants.
Snail shells will work? Hmm, we've got giant snails in the lake by our house, nah! I'll stick with eggs.
Easy; crush it, cook it black (burn it), put in a jar and add white vinegar, and let it sit for 2 weeks.
After 2 weeks use 2 tbsp/gal of water; spray (foliar) or water in to the ground.