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Bristol R.I. USA

I've heard that calcium tends to be depleted in the soil in early Aug. Is that when we should start supplementing the plant or should we start slowly adding a bit to our fertilizing program now?

7/16/2012 10:02:58 PM

Piqua, Ohio

I use Nutri-Cal weekly

7/17/2012 9:35:44 PM

Goodwood, Ontario, Canada

Calcium is carried to the roots with the soil water as it moves to the roots. In most soils, more calcium is carried to the roots than the plant needs, and the excess is filtered out of the water and accumulates around the roots. When calcium deficiency occurs in plants, it is generally due to a lack of water rather than a lack of calcium in the soil. Calcium is only moved through the xylem, carried from the roots to the rest of the plant with the water stream, and stays where it is deposited. During periods of moisture stress, the fruits and newly opening leaves don't transpire as much as the rest of the plant, and so don't receive as much calcium. This can result in pockets of cells with weakened cell walls, which break down when the fruit begins to grow rapidly again. Fine tune your watering and a lot of the problems us growers encounter will go away.

7/18/2012 2:07:41 PM

A chelated Calcium will move through the plant. We water on a timer every day, same amount daily, and our tissue tests have indicated that our calcium was low, in this type of growing enviroment, supplementing calcium is necessary, we've seen that after we've increased the calcium ourselves, as well as plenty of growers who have had tissue tests that showed low calcium levels, like us, they boosted their calcium and not only did their plants improve, their daily gains improved as well. The overall health of the plant improved, eaves that looked old and tired were once again bright and a wax like shine to the leaves. This has been reported by growers of all sorts of experience levels.

www.extremepumpkinstore.com

7/19/2012 12:47:15 AM

Quincy, CA

How about foliar feeding with a calcium carbonate product like Cal Carb or Lithovit? Does that calcium get absorbed into the plant?

7/20/2012 9:30:12 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

There really isnt enough calcium available with either to justify using it for calcium, they do however work very well as they are intended to.

7/20/2012 1:03:08 PM

Hinckley MN

I have never seen signs of calcium toxicity in any plant. Therefore, I always add more if I can.

7/21/2012 12:05:03 AM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

So, this extra calcium...is it applied all by foliar or through irrigation as well?

I've got almost everything (except foliar) on automation now and wondered if I could run supplimental calcium through my fert injector and overhead watering system??

7/23/2012 10:23:46 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

Glenn,
Calcium is directly affected by nitrogen and potassium levels, and by excessive heat, historically, we bump up our potassium knowing that these plants deplete the potassium levels, and most all fertilizers have some level of nitrogen in them, so it goes back to trying to maintain a balance of nutrients.
We highly recommend applying calcium on a weekly basis foliar, but make sure it is a chelated calcium or it will be a wasted effort.
We've made recommendations to replenish the calcium in the soil based upon tissue test results, all of the growers who have made these corrections have all reported healthier plants, and increased gains.

I hope that this helps,

Tom
www.extremepumpkinstore.com

7/23/2012 10:53:25 AM

West Paris Me.

I looked up Nutri-Cal and I can't tell if is chelated. All I can find is that it is organically complexed. I am not sure what that means. I calcium nitrate chelated?

7/23/2012 11:34:10 AM

Upa Creek, Mo

Tom, I use Grotek Cal Max. You all used to sell it. It that chelated? Thanks

7/23/2012 11:53:36 AM

Www.extremepumpkinstore.com

Luke, the lable has nothing that indicates that this product is chelated.

7/23/2012 12:51:21 PM

virginia

where can u get chelated calcium at ???? Thanks,

7/23/2012 1:22:14 PM

Menomonie, WI (mail@gr8pumpkin.net)

Nutri-Cal is a Complex Calcium not Chelated.
What is the difference between a chelated calcium and complexed calcium?
A chelate and a complexing agent are somewhat similar in the fact they form a claw or ring formation around an ion, in this case a calcium ion. They actually sequester the ion, changing the charge, and form a new molecule.

A chelate attaches itself to two or more sites on the ion creating a very tight bond. A complexed ion is only attached at one site, allowing for quicker release of the calcium.

A problem with a synthetic chelate, such as EDTA, is that the molecule which is formed may be larger than the leaf pores absorbing the calcium, making it difficult to enter. Also, the calcium ion is held so tightly that the rate of release of the calcium is very slow. And finally, once the calcium ion is released, the plant has to use up considerable net energy to metabolize it or remove it from the plant.

Chelates have shown to be very efficient in soil applications, but less so when applied directly to plant foliage.

Nutri-Cal® is a natural organic complexed calcium source.

T.O.G, the natural organic complexing agent used in Nutri-Cal®, consists of unique carboxylic acids and carbohydrates that are completely metabolized and utilized by the plant. In addition the T.O.G. provides 6% nitrogen and is involved directly with the photosynthesis and respiration processes of the plant. These organic acids are extracted from natural plant tissue, which are already present in plants, and thus the plant readily accepts them.

T.O.G. sequesters the calcium ion forming an organic molecule that has a neutral charge so it can be absorbed immediately. The calcium ion is masked so that plant doesn't even know it is calcium. In this way the organic molecule can move more freely within plant, protecting the calcium ion from forming insoluble compounds, and ultimately significantly improving the chances of getting to the fruit cells where it is n

7/23/2012 1:58:45 PM

West Paris Me.

thanks Linus

7/23/2012 3:45:01 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Thanks Tom, I'll go to the hydroponics store and see what kind of chelated calcium products they carry.

7/23/2012 9:15:43 PM

Salem, Oregon

Is there a general idea on when gains should improve after applying TKO Cal/Mag to the plant as a drench?

8/4/2012 2:09:03 AM

TKO should be applied as a foliar. Any increase really depends on your plant, how long you waited to correct any deficiencies and where your calcium levels are.

8/4/2012 3:37:43 PM