Can we talk about Calcium?

[mostnonymouse]

I'm becoming increasingly interested in feeding my soil calcium, but have found little information on how to do so. I know that egg shells contain quite a bit, and can be dissolved in vinegar, but I'd like to know if there are any disadvantages to this method or if better options exist...what say ye, mentors?

 

[big_daddy]

There are so many beneficial inputs that contain calcium, that you have a huge selection to choose from. EWC, soft rock phosphate, Aloe Vera [cite], Alfalfa, crab meal, bone meal, fish bone meal, kelp meal.......and the list goes on.

I didn't even name the most popular........dolomite, limestone, oyster shell (flour) and gypsum. You have a a lot of choices for sure....if your soils are pre amended with any of the above, and you feel you're deficient, a simple top dressing with EWC is a start.

I've top dressed with Oyster shell flour and then topped with EWC. Normally I only do this if the water pools up when I water, otherwise, I let the inputs in the soil feed the Ca as the plants demand it.

HTH

b_d

 

[mostnonymouse]

I've seen more and more people (especially in the growing large plants outdoors thread) discussing the use of oyster shell for calcium. I guess I'm more looking to know what sources are considered best, or most available to the soil's organisms

 

[big_daddy]

I've seen more and more people (especially in the growing large plants outdoors thread) discussing the use of oyster shell for calcium. I guess I'm more looking to know what sources are considered best, or most available to the soil's organisms

mostnonymouse,

This post by Clack gives the lowdown on the differences of the major calcium components. It explains in a Reader's Digest version of the way the different calcium inputs function.

This might clear up some questions and help you make your choice/choices easier.

b_d

 

[habeeb]

^ never seen that post by CC

interesting te says mag is not available from dolomite, unless pH is out of wack ??? I have no knowledge about this, but my plants say, there getting Mg, which either means my pH is out of wack, or the Mg fairy likes to visit my plants at night

 

[mad librettist]

Can we talk about Calcium?

best place for Ca is worm castings.

worms have calcium spraying glands used in their digestion

 

[GoneRooty]

And you can feed your worms egg shells and oyster shell flour, etc to increase the calcium content of your EWC. Them little wormies are such great things, you can pretty much tailor your EWC to contain more or less of whatever you want by managing your inputs.

 

[pine boy]

Isn't molasses a source of calcium? I always put molasses in my ewc tea.

 

[mostnonymouse]

Looks like my best option is to continue feeding my worms the good stuff! thanks guys. I use molasses in my teas as well pine boy..good call. I forget about the trace minerals it provides.

I'm only interested because I've recently seen more and more folks claim calcium to be a highly underrated mineral.

 

[mad librettist]

Can we talk about Calcium?

and worms dig eggshells soaked in vinegar for a long while.

 

[big_daddy]

Aside from the calcium component, crab/crustacean meal is a good input to a worm bin for the chitin. I wonder how much calcium there truly is in EWC. With a lot of the foods already containing Ca. you can really supercharge your castings.

b_d

 

[GoneRooty]

and worms dig eggshells soaked in vinegar for a long while.

A little off topic, but I remember a science experiment in like elementary school or something, where you soak an egg in vinegar for a while, and then set it on a bottle and somehow the egg gets sucked into the bottle without breaking. Anyone else remember this?

Ok back on subject, ML have you tried soaking oyster shell or crab shell in vinegar to see if it makes a difference in how well the worms like it? I figure if they like the egg shell soaked in vinegar, they would like the oyster/crab shell soaked in vinegar too.

 

[mostnonymouse]

A little off topic, but I remember a science experiment in like elementary school or something, where you soak an egg in vinegar for a while, and then set it on a bottle and somehow the egg gets sucked into the bottle without breaking. Anyone else remember this?

Ok back on subject, ML have you tried soaking oyster shell or crab shell in vinegar to see if it makes a difference in how well the worms like it? I figure if they like the egg shell soaked in vinegar, they would like the oyster/crab shell soaked in vinegar too.

yep....precisely what i was referring to. the calcium carbonate that comprises the shell reacts with the vinegar leaving behind the soft membrane beneath.

 

[mostnonymouse]

this thread just makes me love my worms more and more

 

[Mountain]

best place for Ca is worm castings.

Yeah worm poo is great for calcium. Pretty sure even in nature worm poo is much higher in calcium than the surrounding native soil. Among other sources, from what I understand, ground oysters shells rock in your medium straight, not from castings, if you have a very high biological activity and that's a key.

A friend feeds his worms ground oyster shells, greensand and other stuff like that.

 

[h.h.]

Maybe egg shells with citric acid. Somebody was trying the oyster shells with citric.
Again off topic...what worms should I order. i've had the red wigglers but I see 2 or 3 different ones when going to order. Varying sizes. Some of each?

 

[foescan]

Am I the only one using aragonite? Once I re-lime a soil mix more than 1-2x over several years I get certain nutrient deficiencies in my plants, which I believe is due to excess magnesium in the mix. I have switched to aragonite. What I have is from an ancient deposits of mollusk shells, 39% calcium, less than 1% magnesium, with lots of bio-available trace minerals. Seems like the best choice if you want to increase calcium without adding magnesium too. Raw aragonite is easy to find. I just picked up a 50# bag at a feed and seed store for $15. It sounds like great stuff. I currently have several batches of soil mixed up and taking a rest.

Raw Aragonite

Raw Aragonite (a-rag-o-nite) is the purest Calcium Carbonate in the world

Whatever the application, nothing out-performs Raw Aragonite.

NITROGEN

Recent analytical testing of Raw Aragonite shows that there are 250,000 Aerobic bacteria perGRAM which is a very high amount. Aerobic bacteria is responsible for nitrogen fixation from the 70,000 pounds (35 tons) of raw nitrogen (in the form of N2) over each acre of soil. Aerobic bacteria ingests the N2 nitrogen and leaves nitrates in the soil when it dies. Nitrates are very stable in the soil. They do not disseminate into the air like chemical nitrogen and you do not need nitrogen preservation costs. For the same price of only nitrogen, you can use Raw Aragonite and get nitrogen, calcium, sea trace minerals and micro-nutrients.

Raw Aragonite also inhibits the ammonium loss by absorbing the nitrogen into the physical aragonite. THEREFORE, reducing the need of chemical nitrogen stabilizers.

At 250,000 bacteria per GRAM, that’s 113,500,000 bacteria per pound of Raw Aragonite applied at 400 pounds per acre, it would be 45.4 billion nitrate producing bacteria per acre or over one million bacteria per square foot. Another great attribute of Raw Aragonite is that the bacteria is producing soil nitrates 24 hours per day, not just when the weather conditions dictates when plants can grow. The food source carbon for the bacteria is the aragonite or any organic matter in the field.

CALCIUM

When you purchase raw aragonite, you are receiving calcium that is soluble and can be spread in the Spring or Fall. Raw Aragonite goes to work the moment it comes in contact with the soil. Raw Aragonite has 37% calcium, less than 1% Magnesium with an array of micro-nutrients like boron, sulfur and zinc. Also, it has the rich, sea trace minerals.

Since Raw Aragonite is predigested by the sea creatures, it has a high absorbability to the plants. Aragonite in its raw state (not heat dried) brings to the soil some fantastic biological benefits. We have seen on countless farms that by appling the Raw Aragonite to the soil, we are able to limit the amount of fertilizer that is needed to grow a quality crop. Raw Aragonite can be used with any ROW CROP, VEGETABLE, PASTURE, HAY FIELD, LAWN OR GOLF COURSE.

Testimonial plant tissue results shows that the Raw Aragonite’s calcium is absorbed into the plant within seven days. This is a faster accumulated rate than liquid calcium because this calcium, continually, comes up through the roots of the plants. With over FIVE years consecutive field applications, there has been no change in the soil's Ph.

APPLICATION

The application of Raw Aragonite is with a lime spreader or fertilizer buggy. To encourage the continual reproduction of the Aerobic bacteria, it is delivered with a 3% to 5% moisture content. Application rate varies from 400#’s per acre for grasses and small grains; 500#’s for soybeans and corn is 650#’s per acre. If you are going back to back on corn, apply 750#’s per acre.

The Raw Aragonite calcium will be used before the soil calcium will be used because of the ease for plants to utilize it. Ag lime needs time to break down for plant utilization. If weather conditions are bad for optimum plant growth, it is common knowledge that one can apply either nitrogen or calcium to force a plant to grow. Raw Aragonite has both nitrates and calcium to provide continued growth during these periods. The plants will be more resistant to blights and fungus infections since they will be healthier. Insect pressure will be less due to the tighter cell structures of the plants.

Raw Aragonite is delivered in 50# bags, one ton tote bags or 23-25 ton semi dump truck. Delivery to your location is within two weeks.

 

[CC_2U]

^ never seen that post by CC

interesting te says mag is not available from dolomite, unless pH is out of wack ??? I have no knowledge about this, but my plants say, there getting Mg, which either means my pH is out of wack, or the Mg fairy likes to visit my plants at night

Elemental Magnesium is available from a number of sources - knowingly or not.

If you're using worm castings you've got Magnesium from the plant material used to create them. Same with thermal compost. Same with alfalfa meal. Kelp meal. Fish meal. Fish bone meal. et al.

On the subject of molasses - the amounts listed on the label are not the amount contained in the product. It is a percentage of the USDA's "Minimum Daily Requirements" meaning that the actual amount of Magnesium is pretty paltry. Or Calcium.

Eggs shells as a source of Calcium - yes, it's true that egg shells are 94% Calcium Carbonate. And it's true that you could add them to a worm bin, thermal compost pile, etc. and breakdown the shells and get Calcium Carbonate. It seems like a circuitous way of getting there. Chickens are fed both oyster shell grit (made from crushed oyster shells) which are very high in Calcium Carbonate. They're also fed oyster shell powder (aka flour) which is a specific product from an ancient marine deposit at the bottom of San Francisco Bay.

On the West Coast the oyster shell powder from Pacific Pearl is around $10.00 for 50 lbs. - a lot easier to course than 50 lbs. of egg shells. Or turkey shells. Ostrich shells. Duck shells.

Pacific Pearl has been mining and shipping the product since the 1920's. It, like Calcite Lime, is 96% Calcium Carbonate - free from Magnesium Carbonate.

The old name for Dolomite Lime was far more descriptive - Magnesium Lime. A term still used in agriculture circles.

CC

CC

 

[mostnonymouse]

perhaps a touch off subject, but an interesting little tidbit here about chickens and calcium as well: http://www.healthandhealing.revolutionoftruth.com/healthandhealing_004.htm

 

[Scrappy4]

I have some crab meal in my soil. Crab meal = crab shell = cal Beyond my soil mix. I noticed and even mentioned here how fast crab shell got consumed with bakashi hot compost. Some of that recent compost is now the top two inches of my current soil mix, and I imagine some of that bacteria from the bakashi compost is actively breaking down crab shell, and then there's the shells my worms eat, so I must be covered. Got a lot of stretch this cycle, is that cal related, or bacteria?................Scrappy