How do I calcium?

[Leafmite]

I wouldn't use the TUMS indoors. It can smell like sour milk. Eggshells, thankfully, do not smell.
I let the eggshells dry and then I just crumble them up and add them to the top. With the LECA and red lava rock, the shells soon work their way into the middle. With your bark and moss, you can crumble them finer.
I don't have any orchids that need a much lower pH but you grow most of your plants in bark and sphagnum moss which will naturally lower the pH as it decays. I use the moss and bark in the soil mixes for some of my non-orchids to keep the pH lower.

[RJSquirrel]

I havent had a black rotted new cattleya shoot from calcium deficit since I started using Dyna Rok

I use it with bark and charcoal equal 3rds.
You can go to the site and read the MSDS it has everthing you need in it without getting scary. In your part of town any local hydroponics store should carry it. About 80 dollars for a big bag. I use less than 1 bag a year with over 150 plants...
You can get the liquids, you can buy and add them, buy more and keep adding them. The rocks in your mix keep you from this needless spending for liquids that go down the drain. You may think the big bag of rocks is expensive but over time its very cost effective if its consistent calcium you desire to be provided to your plants. No mixing no fussing no wondering if you did it right. Makes things simple. I like simple. I am RJSIMPLETON!

[katrina]

It is my understanding that the calcium in tap water is unusable to plants. Something about the molecules being too large to be taken up by the roots and/or transported throughout the plant.

I didn't know this until I was having some trouble w/a plant and called Andy (of Andy's Orchids) for growing advice...even sent him pics. I had been growing this plant for awhile and it had gone into decline...he instantly diagnosed it as Ca deficiency and that's when he told me about the situation w/tap water calcium (and Mg). I added a Ca/Mg supplement w/iron and the problem reversed in the new growths.

With that said...I don't believe your problem is one of Ca deficiency. As MrHappy pointed out...the deficiency takes a good deal of time to develop. I had bought that plant from Andy at least 2 years earlier...maybe closer to 3yrs even...so it was very slow to progress. But, it's a good idea for most people to add Ca/Mg (either liquid, eggshells, oyster, or whatever source one chooses) to prevent future deficiency.

[Ray]

That is not an issue with calcium deficiency. That appears as necrosis of leaf tips.

Astrid - what is your water supply, and how much calcium is in it? Unless you live in/near NYC, or where snowmelt is a major contributor to your water supply, most municipal supplies have plenty.

The comments that pH affects the availability of nutrients is broadly correct, but really is incorrect in our context. If the ion is in solution, it is available to the plants. None of the chemicals in fertilizers form insoluble complexes in the range of pH that's is reasonable for the plants, and a fair range outside of that.

Leafmite - I really don't understand your comment about MSURO not working for you due to lava rock or LECA. The vast majority of my plants are in LECA, and I have used nothing but that formula, or K-Lite, a low P- & K derivative of it, since it was released over a decade ago. I guess my question is what makes you think it's not working?

"Rocky" - Two things: "black rot" and calcium deficiency necrosis are not the same thing. The former is caused by a pathogen, the latter is tissue death due to a nutrient deficit. Yes, dead tissue rots, but it's the initiation of the damage that differs.

I really don't think that Dyna-Rok has enough soluble calcium in it to contribute significantly, but if it does, and that really is what has been stopped by its use, it shows just how small the demand for calcium really is!


Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

[801229001]

try coarse dolomitic lime! that stuff won't break down and won't fall through the cracks and keeps your plants full of calcium! It looks like white rocks and you can find it at a big box store

[cbuchman]

My orchids were diagnosed with a calcium deficiency and treat it using MagiCal. 1 tsp/gal about every 6-8 weeks when actively growing. I just add it to my regular fertilizing routine.

it's available on Amazon.

[dbarron]

Cbuchman, I hope you get over your calcium deficiency..wouldn't it be easier if you simply drank milk? Most people don't refer to feeding a human body as fertilization
PS..Yes, I know what you mean....but I am replying to what you SAID.

[Leafmite]

Originally Posted by Ray

Leafmite - I really don't understand your comment about MSURO not working for you due to lava rock or LECA. The vast majority of my plants are in LECA, and I have used nothing but that formula, or K-Lite, a low P- & K derivative of it, since it was released over a decade ago. I guess my question is what makes you think it's not working?
Ray Barkalow
firstrays.com

Ray, I believe it is what I am growing or how I am growing that makes the MSU not work as well as it should for me. I don't grow in S/H. The orchids grow indoors during the winter and outdoors during the summer.
What did I notice? I still had episodes of Calcium deficiency with a few of the Cattleyas and fertilizer burn with the Angraecums, Oncidium family and the neo seedlings. I lowered the amount of MSU and for the past three years have added Calcium, Epsom Salts and Ironite and the results have been very satisfactory. I think that, with my medium and conditions, I just needed to find the right balance.

[astrid]

Originally Posted by Ray

That is not an issue with calcium deficiency. That appears as necrosis of leaf tips.

Astrid - what is your water supply, and how much calcium is in it? Unless you live in/near NYC, or where snowmelt is a major contributor to your water supply, most municipal supplies have plenty.

I live in Portland, OR. I just drink city water from the tap, and I am actually not so sure of the water's components- only that it has not yet killed me! haha!

Some 24 out of the 25 orchids I have are doing quite well for now and I have about 4 rescues that are recovering and starting to thrive for me.

But this miltassia of mine has just been doing weird stuff, and the yellowing is worrisome.

I'm thinking about the calcium ions in tap water and bouncing a few ideas around in my head but I think you are right– the orchids should be able to use the elemental ions in a water solution. I wonder if there's another piece to that puzzle chemically speaking...

---------- Post added at 11:31 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:29 AM ----------

Originally Posted by MrHappyRotter

I'm not sure if this is what everyone does, but here's what I do...

I wait until I can collect at least a dozen or more egg shells, keeping them in a plastic container in the refrigerator until I'm ready for processing.

Then I soak them in water for at least a few days, sometimes more. I fill a container with water, making sure the water covers the shells completely, then empty and refill daily to try and get off all of the membrane that sticks to the shells.

The soaking and membrane removal is mostly so that they don't produce odor and so they don't attract ants/roaches/gnats/etc, if that's not a concern for you (i.e. you grow outside) then it may not be an issue.

Once I've done the soaking, I put them in a plastic bag and crush them down to small pieces. Then I'll set that out on foil or plastic and let it dry completely until the pieces don't stick together.

Then, if I'm repotting, I'll mix a teaspoon or two into the potting mix, depending on pot size. Otherwise, I just sprinkle the shell fragments on top of the potting mix (top dress) plants. Repeat once or twice a year. It's actually one thing I don't worry too much about over doing, since it takes so long for the shells to break down.

Egg shells not only provide calcium, they provide several other trace nutrients, and they break down slowly, so they're good stuff.

So complex!! I eat my softboiled eggs by spooning them out of the shell, and then I compulsively try to pull the membrane out as one big piece, so I don't have to go to all that trouble later on, haha!

Thanks for the advice, friend!

[WhiteRabbit]

The first looks like the new leaf in the center of the new growth is bad - could be from water trapped in the growth while it was developing, or too much water in general. The other photo looks like old growth, and may be natural die off.