Well, planting season is almost here. I am going to double my tomato crop this year. I have ready access to oyster shells and crushed coral. How good of a calcium supplement would these make? I grow in pots, 22 inch pots - 1 plant per pot. I'd like to just mix in a large quantity of either into my planting soil. I did pretty good last year using a liquid calcium supplement but it was kind of expensive tedious. Hoping to do something cheaper and easier this year.
Paul
I think not very good unless it goes into the mix months beforehand and even then it's doubtful. The chunks will be too large and not dissolve sufficiently to have much effect. Have a look at the thread on soil amendment without digging up the yard for a detailed explanation.
David
Yeah that was what I was thinking, they would take a long time to degrade into the soil. I'll probably do what I did last year. Seemed to work pretty well but expensive. Or maybe I'll try a milk/water spray or even sheet rock powder in water.
Paul
You could put some oyster shells in a plastic bucket of water and add a little muriatic acid (or a bunch of vinegar.) Stir it up and let it sit for a few days. The shells will neutralize the acid, and the liquid will be loaded with of soluble calcium++. Pour it around the plants. HTH :-)
Bob
I grow my tomatoes in pots too. Start of season, I'll work in a handful of limestone as used for the lawn. That 50 lb bag will last for the rest of my life but it was cheap.
Good idea.
Paul
See that's why I didn't buy a bag. I couldn't find them in a small quantity.
Paul
I use vinegar as a herbicide. I'd make sure your saturated solution is heavy on the shell side.
Just place a few TUMS in the soil around your plants.
Rich
I asked about that once. How about a couple of those 600 mg dietary calcium tablets?
Paul
Why do that if you have oyster shells???
-Bob
both are fine as longer term amendments.
IMO 22 inch pots are not big enough for some varieties of tomatoes. the rest of your troubles (with nutrients and moisture) is because of this.
when you do your new plantings use bigger pots.
you'll find it will be a help.
check the pH before adding calcium. you might be pushing the pH too high and that can also reduce how many nutrients are available to the plants (and many other things too).
songbird
General knowledge. I actually have not bought them yet but I found a feed store that sells them.
Paul
Oyster shell could make up a good third of your potting mix and provide calcium and pore space and drainage.
But for calcium to thwart BER a foliar drench of about a gram of calcium chloride in a gallon of water or a few tablesppons of wood ashes on the surface of the soil will work.
Liquid calcium supplement ? it is calcium chloride in water. a 40lb bag of ice melt at under 20$ will make a swimming pool full.
Depending where you live you could take out a few pounds and lime your lawn with the rest. Any source of calcium will do.
I also have a 40-50 lb bag of 5/5/5 fertilizer for the pots.
To me, part of growing your own is to save money although main reason for planting tomatoes is you just can't buy as good as you grow.
Other than that, BER is usually caused by infrequent watering. When the soil is dry to the depth of an inch, water.
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