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Calcium acetate test...Not Good.

TdotGonG

Member
I don't now much about chemistry...well I know jack shit let's be real lmao! But eh gave er the ol try EH!



tried my best to figure out a way to get calcium into a water soluble form, as one of my plants is getting some cal issues from the light being so close. she just cant uptake calcium fast enough to keep up with the light output. Did some googling and searching around. wondered if calcium acetate can be used as a amendment for high pH soils and is a source of calcium/Magnesium. I didn't have a bunch of egg shells for calcium carbonate, or tums to make it. Nor was I going to waste my time buying 3 dozen eggs and stinking up my house making a life time supply of pickled eggs, even though me and gran pops eat em like crazy haha.



Now I knew that dolomite lime is a good source of calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate. Well I had no clue what the hell the saturation ratio's were cause Like I said I'm not a chemist, And I don't know the math associated to figuring out the saturation ratio. so I used 35g of dolomite lime to 100ml of 10% acetic acid(cleaning vinegar) and a ball 500ml mason jar.



I put 140g of dolomite lime in to 400ml of vinegar in the mason jar. I cut out about 15 coffee filters to make a breathable gasket for the c02 to escape but allows me to lid the container. And let it sit for 36 hours.



After 36 hours the solution looked clear and it looked like the larger particulate of the dolomite had broken down and that some calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate had turned into cal-mag acetate. I filtered with a 25u SS screen and coffee filters. I foliar fed at 1/16tsp> 1L ratio. It dropped the ph of the water down to 4 which should of been a instant "oh shit the solution isn't saturated enough, don't use it" the ph of calcium acetate is basic, not acidic like you would think.



WELL HERE IS THE EFF'IN FUN PART. I forgot that cal-mag acetate will dry into a white crystalline goddamn powder...now my plant is covered in a crystalline powder that I bloody cannot wash off lol! Bet ya no bugs or mold will get the damm thing though haha! And it sort of burnt the surface of the plant in a weird way. I'm going to wash the plant off with a slight acid wash(pH 6.0), then a heavy spray down with plain ol well water. hopefully the slightly acidic water will break down the acetate and help it wash off.



Now I aint giving up though. Made another solution with the same ratio's. Going to let this one sit for up to 2 weeks and monitor the pH as time goes to check the saturation point. As well using heat to further the process. C02 seems to be released faster when heat is applied so logic would say that heat speeds the process up. I'm not going to use it as a foliar, for apparent reasons... rather a portion of a feeding program to boost calcium. But I'm not sure if this source of calcium with clog up CeC in mediums/soil. I need to learn more about positive/negative charges and how they apply to CeC. As for hydro I have no clue. I'm assuming it would either lockout phosphorus and other macros or be absorbed to fast and not be locked out by the other salts, but that's a best case scenario.



I'll keep this thread updated with my testing. Yes I could of bought Cal-nitrate/Amino chelate/ EDTA but I wanted to make my own off shoot readily available nutrient, you know stroke the redneck ego a liddle lol!
 

TdotGonG

Member
trying to make my own cal/mag solution that is instantly available for the plant and easily made at home. I appreciate the advice lads, this is just an experiment. Going to buy a magnet stir/heat plate, and do the experiment using controlled heat and a long period of time. I want to see what the calcium acetate does for cannabis. I just have to figure out how to make a proper solution. Might just buy some calcium carbonate powder and make it the simple way, this will get rid of the mag that is turning into an acetate a long side the calcium.
 

troutman

Seed Whore
You don't need a magnetic stir/hot plate to make calcium acetate. ;)

Just mix vinegar with dolomitic limestone in a container enjoy the fizzing which will be carbon dioxide.
Do this near your plants and they'll enjoy the extra carbon dioxide as well. The reaction will be similar
as mixing vinegar and baking soda together.
 

Agronomist

Active member
Just mix calcium nitrate Ca(NO3)2 to a wanted concentration.
I think the max solubility is around 1,000 gr/L.
 

G.O. Joe

Active member
Veteran
The natural carbonates have different abilities to dissolve in weak acid. The cheapest and easiest to dissolve is prepared by adding a solution of the chloride to an excess of dissolved sodium carbonate or bicarbonate. Acetic acid in water may be sold as vinegar in some countries (not here), but will be filtered bacterial broth elsewhere.
 

BillFarthing

Active member
Veteran
Mix your base nutrients, add a gram per gallon of calcium acetate and adjust the pH. Never had any problems.



Use half a gram per gallon, add a surfactant for foliar use. Spray with plain water until runoff the next day.
 

Cannabologist

Active member
Veteran
LoL.... Pull you're light up, take the plant off a riser and put it on the floor.


And, I guess, Cal mag.


Wait.!!!!

I know!!

Weed is legal mostly anywhere, throw your setup away and just go buy some weed. WTF are you doing lol??? :kiss:
 
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