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Kakabeka Falls,On. Canada.

I am looking to purchase liquid calcium can someone let me know where I can find some in canada?.Ben

7/23/2007 12:45:46 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Ben,

Look in the yellow pages of your phone book under "hydroponics or hydroponic stores" and you will find what you are looking for.

Good searching!!

7/23/2007 4:54:40 PM

Mill Bay, British Columbia

Here, I'll make it easier for you;

http://www.grodan.com/sw58134.asp?postback=1&showAll=1&state=Ontario

7/23/2007 4:56:41 PM

Kakabeka Falls,On. Canada.

Thanks for the info,I appreciate it.
Ben.

7/24/2007 12:13:44 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

Not as many hydroponics stores in Ontario as in BC, ;-). I only know of one in Windsor.

7/24/2007 2:17:32 PM

Kakabeka Falls,On. Canada.

where would that be?

7/24/2007 3:03:22 PM

Ontario, Canada.

I bought Calci-max at the Bradford Co-Op.
61 Bridge Street,     905-775-3317  
Bradford, ON     
L3Z 3H3    

7/25/2007 3:18:21 AM

Kakabeka Falls,On. Canada.

Thank you for the info Russ.
Ben.

7/25/2007 11:39:27 AM

Ontario

Calcium products, theres a product in the Niagara area for peaches called STOP-IT. The peach growers around here swear by it, it increases their weight by 10 percent which is good for them because they sell by the pound in a crate. I used it until I switched over too Vigor Cal and Vigor cal phos. The stop it also decreases splitting which leads to the next topic, blossom end splits. Theres been a lot of articles done about this topic and most of the technical terms are way over my head so I don't pay much attention to it, I prefer to keep it simple. By no means is this scientific but is done by personal experience, listening to other growers and the size of pumpkins grown between me and Bryan Dueck.

We use to be victems of BES ALSO. We started using foilar spray calcium(stop it), we increased our calcium in soil. I understand that calcium is not up takable from roots into pumpkin, but my thought if there is not enough calcium in soil maybe the plant draws from the fruit. Even frequent watering and fertilizing. We keep our soil moist and water every other day along with fertilizing lightly. Our growth is more even which I think is the biggest cause of splitting. You get those big one day gains but the walls get thin and this results in either splitting or going light. By keeping a even steady growth the walls grow along with the pumpkin at a steady pace. By keeping soil moist if you have a cloud burst no worries because plant is already use to moist soil. Hot and cold weather or sudden change in weather needs no cause for worry because your walls are thicker. continued

7/25/2007 6:49:58 PM

Ontario

. By no means is this scientific but we havn't had the splitting we had back in 98 99 00 and 01. We had one split because of too agressive growth. 50 pounds plus a day. I find 35 to 40 ideal, if it dips then I fertilize lightly if its growing at that pace then I don't fertilize. I feel the walls can't thicken when its growing too fast so its better to grow steady. As for weather changes no need to rip out vines or leaves if you do this, which I heard of growers doing, it might prevent it but what will make the pumpkin grow for the rest of the season if you have no plant left, then you wind up with a 800 to 900 pound pumpkin which the vast majority of us is not our goal. Maybe weather comes into play with splits but since doing this weather has not been a factor for me and we have some wild swings down here in Niagara. Just keep it simple and don't push them too hard and you will be suprised.

drew

7/25/2007 6:58:44 PM

Ontario, Canada.

A Trip Down The Calcium Highway
Winter 2007 GVGO Newsletter
Russ Landry


One of the most frustrating and extremely unfortunate events in growing the Atlantic Giant Pumpkin (AGP) occurs usually in the dog days of August. It sneaks upon a wayward grower so unsuspectingly that they are often blind sided by the affects of a simple diminutive tiny atom on the periodic table of elements. This event often can play a cruel an extremely doubtful havoc on a plant’s single fruit. So traumatic it can force a grower to abandon the hobby for more benign chores around the yard. Consider that each plant requires nearly an hour a day of care from spring thru to fall including all prep time. It becomes easy to understand the investment that each grower places with each seedling flung into the earth. You see the mere lack of small a quantity of this lowly common atom can very easily destroy the best of fruit within the blink of an eye. A mid August plunge into the split abyss wipes out most growers labors of love. Many a plant is coddled for up to ninety hours of sweat equity by the time the Dog Star rolls into the summer sky. The misshapen fruit often sends the grower reeling and wanting another opportunity while waiting for another summer solstice to begin next year.

7/26/2007 12:37:49 AM

Ontario, Canada.

This pesky atomic orbital substance known to man for centuries is really rather ambiguous. Slivery, grey and dull in colour with little value to mankind it is easy to see why it never gained acceptance adorning a cavewomen’s appendages. Calcium (Ca) is fifth most abundant element in the earth's crust, of which it forms more than 3.5%. It is found mostly as limestone, gypsum and fluorite. Cavemen first noticed it as the icicle looking stalagmites and stalactites which are formed of calcium carbonate. It is also an essential constituent of leaves, bones, teeth, shells and sadly for those who have faced its ugly wrath an unhealthy portion of a smiling pumpkins distal cellular walls. Taken in by the plant and transformed into calcium pectate it is distributed amongst plant and often accumulates within the fruits cell walls. Ca is an alkaline metallic mineral know to moderate and neutralize acids. However this obscure mineral holds the super power of kryptonite in the garden’s giant pumpkin patch.

Krytonitic power is of course an understatement for a grower of Atlantic Giant’s. Most are keenly aware of the balance of power that Ca plays in the soil. Firstly it helps to nutrify the affects of soil acids by lowering pH and helping to maintain the desired level while supporting viable neutrality thus making other elements easily available. Secondly it competes with other cations in the soil and helps to maintain an appropriate balance within the earthly confines of the soils elemental substructure. The discovery of Ca’s importance in the role of growing an AGP is not new. Related vegetable growers and scientists alike have understood its presidential role and function for many decades. The pumpkin community often begs for a greater understanding and exploration into the not only the correct soil proportions of Ca but also too the science of its uptake and induction into the living plant and within the fruit of a rapidly expanding cucurbita maxima.

7/26/2007 12:38:10 AM

Ontario, Canada.

The main causes for concern of reduced Ca uptake being blossom end split (BES) and low fruit weights. Many a growers soils are usually readily abundant in the alkaline mineral at levels of nearly 75%. However, much of the calcium in your soil is often tied-up in insoluble compounds and is unavailable to be absorbed by plant roots. Ca is very mobile in the soil and is easily absorbed into young unsuberized roots. It is transported within the plants main highway known as the xylem through a process called transpiration. The fresh supply of ca is carried up this one-way highway within the transpiration stream to the more dominate evaporative parts of the plant. Often this happens to be the leaves which tend to transpire larger amounts of water and thus receive the lion’s share of Ca. It is at this time when young developing blossoms and fruit suffer during periods of evaporative or uptake stress, setting the stage for a growers blossoming demise.

The most critical time for the fruit is in early stages of development when the fruit develops its internal distribution network. BES is usually developed during the first few days before and after pollination setting the stage for what any golfer would call a shank producing a smile across the blossom end of a well seasoned fruit. Related to BES, Dill rings and sag lines are latter stage effects of calcium stress. Of course there are several factors that can bring a fruit down. But none so life ending has a hole into the case center caused by a crack in blossom end. There are many potential pitfalls that build up to such an event. Trying to identify some of the more popular theories and ideas surrounding this often most misunderstood of pumpkin deformities continues to challenge most hobbyist growers. Here are a few of the causes and tips I have referenced over the past several years from hundreds of research journals and articles I have attempted to comprehend.

7/26/2007 12:38:32 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Blossom-end splitting is not caused by a parasitic organism but is a physiologic disorder associated with low concentrations of calcium and carbohydrate products in the fruit. Increased photosynthesis or accumulative and sudden sugar production can result in BES as the increased deposits enlarge a fruit deprived of calcium placing stress on the ever expanding cell walls. Genetic disposition also plays a major role. Certain genetic strains may be better able to foster adequate root uptake, reduced transpiration and Ca distribution pathways to the fruits distal end. Genetic heavy walled fruit may therefore often provide a larger comfort range for developing young fruit. It is also probable to assume that certain genetic combinations may assist in the appropriate production and storage of photosynthesis by products. Envoronmental factors also enter into the equation by affecting the availability of nutients and foster the development of BES.

Calcium is required in relatively large concentrations for normal cell growth. When a rapidly growing fruit is deprived of necessary calcium, the tissues break down. Blossom-end splits and wall case cracks are induced when demand for calcium exceeds supply. The split event date is proceeded by a prior period of calcium supply stress. Even with an abundance of calcium in the soil, inadequate calcium levels in the fruit can occur. This may also result from low soil calcium levels or high amounts of competitive cations in the soil. High organic matter, drought stress, excessive soil moisture or fluctuations which reduce uptake and movement of calcium into the plant are major concerns.

7/26/2007 12:38:52 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Evaporative leaf canopy stress contributes by increasing the demand for xylem flow and calcium when it may not be available in larger quantities for transportation to the fruit.

Soil moisture and OM content play a critical role in the movement of calcium in the soil and its uptake by roots. Without sufficient soil moisture, calcium mobility will be lost and not move to the roots. If the soil is too wet, oxygen can be unavailable for root growth in the anaerobic conditions and calcium will not be absorbed. Calcium is absorbed only by young root tips in which the cell walls of the epidermis are unsuberized. Once a suberin layer develops in these cells, water and calcium can no longer be absorbed. Suberin is a waxy cork like substance through which water and nutrients cannot move. Excess soil moisture and a lack of oxygen results in the development of this suberin layer.

Rapid, vegetative growth due to excessive soil applied ammonium or nitrate nitrogen fertilization can cause fruit splits. These forms of nitrogen do enhance growth, photosynthesis and fruit quality. However the ammonium ions compete with calcium and significantly restrict its uptake. AGP plants have evolved for years in environments that normally contained less than 5% OM. Plenty of nitrogen is usually available for plant uptake in most of today’s patches containing levels in excess of 10% or more. High patch concentrations of OM and the sudden influx of ammonium nitrates by release of decaying beneficial micro organisms accelerate the release of competing cations of ammonium. This condition begins to hasten green growth and reduce Ca uptake as the soil warms. Avoid fertilization of ammonia-cal forms during and prior to fruiting stages. Calcium nitrate or calcium chealated supplements with a soluble nitrogen sources high in nitrate nitrogen should be used in only small quantities to the root zone by drip irrigation at low strengths or eliminated entirely.

7/26/2007 12:39:24 AM

Ontario, Canada.

If desired ammonium nitrogen should be used foliar at low rates only. Larger leaf canopies, a primary effect of increased nitrogen released into the soil are another of the competing factors affecting the demand for Calcium away from the developing sink.

Foliar applications of calcium, which are often advocated, are of little value because of poor absorption and movement to fruit where it is needed. Drs. Hodges and Steinegger, Extension Specialists with the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, report “calcium does not move from leaves to the fruits.” Thus, foliar canopy sprays of calcium won't correct blossom end split problems. It is thought that pumpkin fruits do not have openings in the epidermis (skin) through which calcium can be absorbed. Contrary to past grower belief, direct application of calcium by wet towels, is ineffective. A secondary cause being slowed fruit transpiration by the toweled enclosure. A third opinion states that towels may be trapping in the ripening gas ethylene. Topical Ca sprays during fruit formation from golf ball to basketball stages may be of benefit but this is still largely unproven.

Avoid drought stress and wide fluctuations in soil moisture by using mulches and/or irrigation. Even a brief soil water deficit can disrupt water and nutrient flow in the plant. If this occurs while fruits are developing, blossom-end splits will likely develop. Plants generally need about one inch of moisture per week from rain or irrigation for proper growth and development. If the irrigation of any kind is available, it should be used

7/26/2007 12:40:48 AM

Ontario, Canada.

during periods of hot, drying winds. Start to irrigate at the beginning of the dry spell.
Mulching, which serves to maintain an even level of soil moisture, should be practiced where feasible. Caution is required as mulches containing high ammonium should be restricted. Leaves and straw that are high in carbon make the best vine mulches.

Weather, thunderstorms and their rainfall trigger the effects of a plant and fruit low in Ca that is already susceptible to BES. Bright sunny days with high temperatures and low humidity drive the leaf engine faster. This causes high transpiration rates out of the leaves and directs more mass flow up the xylem river to the leaves and away from the fruit sink. The leaves become the plants radiator as water energy is directed to the plants elephant ears for cooling. This diversion is also one of the primary results of Dill ring formation during later stages of growth. Combine this with speedy growth of a young fruit during large sink storage periods or dry soil just before such an event and your fruit is now left starving for calcium and unable to cope with increased quantities of sink storage.

Example..... In Ontario 2006 we had a period of nearly no growth for several days in early August right after the passage of a severe cold front. Numerous growers reported slow to no growth at all during this period. A lot of major problems sprang up shortly after this time caused by high transpiration, low humidity and low Ca importation to the fruit. Deep rib splits, sag lines and blossom end splits suddenly begin to appear on the fruits external skin. When compared with hot humid days the sunny low humidity day plays an uncertain havoc with your plants. This is especially true if the plant is not accustomed to the sudden change a new weather front brings with it.

7/26/2007 12:41:20 AM

Ontario, Canada.

. The severe dry cold front I mentioned was preceded by one of hottest humid string of days in Ontario history. Slowing down sudden transpiration by shading the plant or misting at frequent intervals on such days may reduce risk somewhat.

Growing a backup secondary fruit (sink) just in case you suffer the blight of a calcium starved fruit often leads to little success. The secondary sink will begin to compete for the available calcium. This tactic could however work in soils that produce lesser amounts of ammonium. Soils, near in natural background OM levels may be better able to sustain adequate Ca availability and uptake into the plant. The main advantage to the grower allows him to control sink storage during low transpiration and high photosynthesis events. Under such conditions sudden sugar production can result in plants that are better able to distribute the influx of leaf export.

Always keep an area of the plant actively growing as a source of young unsuberized roots and a good flow of calcium and carbohydrate products into the plant. This can be enhanced by applying sparingly foliar ammonium nitrogen and phosphorus to the new growing plant sections. The nitrogen will aid in green growth and the phosphorus assists young root formation. It is possible under good conditions to grow new vine sections and roots well into September.

7/26/2007 12:41:47 AM

Ontario, Canada.

Despite doing plenty of homework and studying the cause and effects of BES many of us will once again be haunted by the prospect of having a smiling fruit in 2007 and beyond. Much is yet to be learned about the roll of Calcium in the Atlantic Giant Pumpkin. I hope we now have a better basic knowledge and some of the tools required top combat the frustratingly deadly season ending fruit calamity.

7/26/2007 12:42:20 AM

Ontario, Canada.

And now you know the rest of the story!

Good Luck & Good Growing

Russ Landry
IGVGC, GVGO, GPC.
Cornesrtone Weigh 0ff September 15th
Grow With Us

7/26/2007 12:58:15 AM

Ontario

Theres the scientific side, one interesting note is that I do shade my plant the last couple of years, so maybe that has helped. The peach growers down here in Niagara swear by the calcium application on fruit and have done studies confirming it does increase cell wall development. Most of the big growers do use some sort of calcium spray directly on the fruit and Agro K contradicts that calcium is not absorbed thru the skin of the pumpkin. So I guess there is two sides to every debate. I think the biggest problem is there has not been enough studies on AG'S done to prove either side right or wrong. The only thing we have to go on is individual results and my weights since using calcium spray has gone up and my splits have gone down and my pumpkins weigh to chart or over. Also I know of several heavy hitters that use the spray and their results have increased as well. Again I think the major cause of splits is agressive growth early on and there is already internal cracking, so the damage is already done, then gravity does the rest so even if your pumpkin is starting to slow down and not growing fast it would have cracked any ways matter what the weather. Again nothing scientific just result oriented observation from many heavy hitters and peach growers and cucumber growers. If you noticed in supermarkets that cucumbers are shiny and a little sticky that is calcium spray because it extends the shelf life of the fruit. Happy growing

drew

7/26/2007 7:13:18 AM

Ontario, Canada.

I do not dispute the the aspect that calcium applied to the fruit may in fact be beneficial. This has been confirmed in the orchard industry and by research. As far as pumpkins go it may help.

Trans-location of calcium from the leaves simply does not occur there are many documented studies that support this finding.

My own experiences with calcium applied foliar is it does not work. Last year while still applying ca by foliar and gypsum to the soil, problems again developed with several fruit in my patch. I might add that my soil levels in some instances have approached 5,000 ppm. I had tried to maintian moisture levels and even began a misting program on stress days. Despite these attempts at corrective measures I failed. Was I missing something? I instead began to focus on the ammonium issue of competing soil cations with calcium and Boron. I discovered that high OM levels could be causing the problem. Soil fertilization should only be in the form of nitrates!

It is much more important as Drew statement suggests to control the soil moisture levels at periods of high evaporative stress to the plant.

Focus on the correct mechanisms for uptake of calcium and boron and maximize its potential.

7/26/2007 9:34:02 AM

Sheridan . NY

GUYS a good talk and look at the world of calcium -- I Made a posting on fert & watering --stats of the use of Agro-ks calciums which there are 6 types 7/24 --botton line the proof is in PUDDIN CRAIG

7/26/2007 11:09:53 AM

Ontario

I too have found high om levels no good also. From a high of 23 percent in 2001 to 11 percent this year. Maintain a steady growth and a good moisture level should provide a strong wall development early on. I agree good talk on calcium as we enter the rapid fruit growth stage. Best of luck everyone

drew

7/26/2007 5:09:55 PM

Kakabeka Falls,On. Canada.

Now! look what i've started!!!Thank you all for the great information.Thanks again guy's.Ben.

7/26/2007 6:36:54 PM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

In windsor, it is called Northern Lights hydroponics. Its on Tecumseh road.

7/30/2007 10:03:41 AM