What Kind Of Ca Do You Need?

[Growin Grass]

Repost from Waltsorganic.com (Seattle's organic fertilizer heaven)

There is a lot more that could be written on this topic, but here are the quick and dirty differences between calcium sources for your soil.

Agricultural Lime: Calcium carbonate – CaC03 Pure calcium carbonate is used to help prevent the spread of various diseases, such as powdery mildew, black spot, and blossom end rot. Other benefits of calcium include, protection from heat stress, increases metabolic functions in plant cells, leading to a greater intake of other nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Additionally it helps to increase general cell wall structure. Adding Ag. Lime to your soil will also raise your PH making it more alkaline.

Dolomite: Dolomitic Lime contains calcium carbonate, bringing benefits similar to Ag Lime, while also providing magnesium which is important for plants’ utilization of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. Having an excess of magnesium in your soil can cause a break down in soil structure, resulting in hard compact soils.

Gypsum: Calcium sulfate, or Sulfate of Lime – CaS042H20, due to its sulfur content Gypsum does not raise the soil PH like lime, and there is some debate as to whether it lowers soil PH. Gypsum helps liberate potash for plant use. Gypsum can also help break up compact and clay filled soils by correcting excess amounts of magnesium in your soil.

Oyster Shell Four: in addition to a large percentage of calcium carbonate, Oyster shell flour contains about 1-% phosphoric acid, which makes oyster shell flour a source of both lime (calcium) and phosphorus. Oyster shell will also slightly raise your soils PH over time. Variable particle size provides both immediate and long-term, slow release, fertilization.

 

[Seamaiden]

DL will also raise pH over time. I put tape on this.

 

[Homesteader]

I have been thinking about experimenting with crab shells and apple cider vinegar at a 1:5 ratio for 5 weeks to make some CalPhos. Anyone try this before? Should I skip the crab and just use oyster?

 

[Seamaiden]

I have not, I'm curious what your results might be. Oyster shell will give you no P, it's comprised of CaCO3 and that's pretty much it.

 

[Homesteader]

I guess maybe BBQ'd egg shells are the way to go. Another reason to keep chickens.

 

[Growin Grass]

Composition of snow crab shell

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19476337.2011.596285#.VzS34GCZ2FR

 

[Purpletrain]

Its used everywhere. They’ve done a tremendous marketing job convincing us that we need to put this stuff on our lawns and gardens every year.

A search through both conventional and organic gardening websites and books reveals that most garden experts happily pass on this information.

Occasionally, using dolomite lime is warranted, but the truth is, it often makes things worse, sometimes just a little, and sometimes a lot. Let’s look at why…

Problem with Dolomite lime fertilizer is it will do you more harm then good
The reason is DL has a ratio of 2 - 1 that is way to much magnesium

 

[Homesteader]

I use dolomitic lime to raise the PH in any peat I put down and I can't think of a better way of doing so. Definitely has its place though.

 

[Seamaiden]

Anything that has the CO3 molecule will raise pH, usually to around 8 or so.

 

[Homesteader]

I prefer oyster shells in my garden but when working with peat in a potting mix I don't think it works as well but maybe I just don't have the correct ratios.

 

[ken dog]

Carbonates are large molecules that are not readily available To the plant

 

[Homesteader]

I use dolomite as liming agent, do people use it for calcium? I think the availability would depend on how acidic the soil is unless I am mistaken.

 

[Purpletrain]

This year i played around with my organic soil when i mixed it into top soil what i observed was ph spiked over 8.0 ph as i kept moist over the next to weeks as miro life to hold ph started dropping by 3rd week i was 6.8 and it remained there ..
So i think what happens is people will make a soil and not giving it time to adjust ph normally They plant there seedlings , clones with in 2 weeks plants show Def or what ever then people start chasing and compounding the problem by adding wood ash dolomite lime or what ever
One should keep that in mind when making a soil no talking HOT soils where you burn off amonia taking mixing finished composted material AKA Humus and sterilized top soil ..
What a person should do is mix them.
then make a tea to really kick start micro life then in about 3 weeks soil will in fact stabilize as micro life take hold this is the time to plant your what ever ..
Instead of just making soil and planting i see huge difference in growth rates this year then prior planting specially first couple weeks of growth .. there was no stall it just took right off.
Here is one plant i germinated around 6th of May had a bad seed run this year many seedlings just didn't give a shit and just died off ,, was Weird almost like there were sprayed with poison.. but this one made it purple train wreck ..
its almost 6 feet tall and a honest 4 feet wide

 

[Homesteader]

A PH of 5 is 10 times more acidic than a PH of 6 and 100 times more acidic than a neutral PH of 7. The variations of PH levels in peat from Alberta range from 3.5-5.5. That is a large variation and it is hard to get consistency when trying to make a soil mix.


I found this article to be very informative in relation to Liming peat but it did only leave me a little more confused on which is the best approach to liming peat and it showed that surface area of the lime on the microscopic level played the crucial role, moreso than calcite vs dolomite did. The variations of limes is also a factor.
http://www.sungro.com/sun-groer/issue-33-april-2005-harmonizing-peat-and-lime

 

[Seamaiden]

I use dolomite as liming agent, do people use it for calcium? I think the availability would depend on how acidic the soil is unless I am mistaken.

People like to use it for Ca & Mg, though the ratios are off.

 

[Winged Sun]

I use dolomite to maintain my peat moss bed's pH. Mixed in, applied light dusting of DE over soil top. Sat for 2 days, then DE mixed in. Watered in. Applied 10gal diluted vermitea to each 4x8 bed. Next day, scattered and hand raked in white clover.

 

[RR1]

I have had good success using fishbone meal along with oyster shell in my soil mixes.

 

[Brother Will]

I have been thinking about experimenting with crab shells and apple cider vinegar at a 1:5 ratio for 5 weeks to make some CalPhos. Anyone try this before? Should I skip the crab and just use oyster?

JUST USE THE OYSTER SHELL AND GROW LIKE CRAZY. Peace, Brother Will

 

[Brother Will]

People like to use it for Ca & Mg, though the ratios are off.

I've Been Growing Since Our OMMP {Oregon Medical Marijuana Program} Became Law And The Benefit Of Real Unbleached DL Has Always Kept My Soil Medium @ 6.8 To an Even 7. Be Careful Using Too Much DL And Surely Mix It Up Extremely Well Before Setting Your Plants In/If You Do Use Too Much DL Your Soil Will Be Deadpan And The Water Or Nutes Will Pan Off To The Sides. One Way You Can Fix That Panning If Put Too Much Within The Substrate... Just Add 1 Drop Of Either Dawn Or Ivory Soap To 1 Gallon Of Water-Shake. Slowly And Evenly Spread As You Pour Most Or All Of It Into Your Container. You Might Have To Soak Your Container From The Bottom As Well-But Try From The Top First-Go Slow And Even.
You'll Next See It Saturates All Of The Substrate. Now If That Doesn't Work... Immediately And Easily Pull Your Plant{s} Have Another Container{s} W/O That Same Amount Of DL Ready To Go---> Replant And Then Water In With Plain Water. I Usually Use 1/2 Cup To A 1.5 Cu Ft. Bag Of Good Potting Soil. But Now Soils Here In Town And In Eugene Have Soils So Good All You Have To Do Is Water Them. When It's Time To Flower Only Add A Bloom Formula And Some Blackstrap.
Peace, Brother Will

 

[Compost Man]

Repost from Waltsorganic.com (Seattle's organic fertilizer heaven)

There is a lot more that could be written on this topic, but here are the quick and dirty differences between calcium sources for your soil.

Agricultural Lime: Calcium carbonate – CaC03 Pure calcium carbonate is used to help prevent the spread of various diseases, such as powdery mildew, black spot, and blossom end rot. Other benefits of calcium include, protection from heat stress, increases metabolic functions in plant cells, leading to a greater intake of other nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus. Additionally it helps to increase general cell wall structure. Adding Ag. Lime to your soil will also raise your PH making it more alkaline.

Dolomite: Dolomitic Lime contains calcium carbonate, bringing benefits similar to Ag Lime, while also providing magnesium which is important for plants’ utilization of nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur. Having an excess of magnesium in your soil can cause a break down in soil structure, resulting in hard compact soils.

Gypsum: Calcium sulfate, or Sulfate of Lime – CaS042H20, due to its sulfur content Gypsum does not raise the soil PH like lime, and there is some debate as to whether it lowers soil PH. Gypsum helps liberate potash for plant use. Gypsum can also help break up compact and clay filled soils by correcting excess amounts of magnesium in your soil.

Oyster Shell Four: in addition to a large percentage of calcium carbonate, Oyster shell flour contains about 1-% phosphoric acid, which makes oyster shell flour a source of both lime (calcium) and phosphorus. Oyster shell will also slightly raise your soils PH over time. Variable particle size provides both immediate and long-term, slow release, fertilization.

You couldn't remember the "extra" goods in crushed oyster shells, amazing ! Are you trying to neutralize an acidic condition ? Try rock phosphate 0-5_0 / 25% calcium.