Any help is welcome

[Phytoplankton]

So I’m still looking for actual measurements from the WCA itself. I may just send an email to Bryant Mason and see if he can point me toward where these JADAM Measurements are.

The one thing I’ve come across is on average, you can get about 4 mg of calcium per egg shell if you ground them to a powder. So that’s a bit more useful than just saying “it’s not efficient” but I’m still unsatisfied. I don’t doubt that oyster shell is more efficient, however, I can’t argue it’s more sustainable since oyster shell is essentially mined like other minerals.

I get my oyster shells from an oyster farm, good soil amendment and great for chicken scratch (got to make them eggshells out of something)! (LOL)

 

[Sueet]

Frying them and then adding them to the vinegar at a 1:10 ratio is the standard process. Not sure what the frying step does but it does make them more brittle. Maybe that helps in the breakdown?

According to @Emilya Green 's DIY CalMagPhos supplement recipe, the cooking is what makes the calcium available:

"The next step is to pan fry the egg shells to the point that most of them are brown or even black, and there are just a few white ones left. Heat changes the shells, and the white ones will be your phosphorus source and the burned ones will be the calcium."

 

[Azimuth]

Yeah, she seems to think the heating somehow changes or releases phosphorus. I haven't seen anything that corroborates that so don't know where that came from. It could have been from The Unconventional Farmer site but that seemed more folksy than scientific to me so I'm not sure I trust the conclusions reached there.

 

[Sueet]

Yeah, she seems to think the heating somehow changes or releases phosphorus. I haven't seen anything that corroborates that so don't know where that came from. It could have been from The Unconventional Farmer site but that seemed more folksy than scientific to me so I'm not sure I trust the conclusions reached there.

I see your point, but I've seen her plants and if that is the only calmag she's using, there may be a there there after all /shrug

 

[OGpapa]

I have read the same thing from emilya. I had heard something years ago very similar from the Amish. All our egg shells go into our soil pile, about once a week, I crush them all down rotate the pile.

 

[SSgrower]

Interestingly, they specifically mentioned that grounding them up still doesn’t help. I caught the info on the KIS podcast episode 123 and 124 with Bryant Mason. I’m currently trying to hunt down the actual measurements/studies he referenced.

He mentioned something as a good alternate which I thought was oyster shells in vinegar, but my mind also wants to say there was something called quick lime. That probably doesn’t suit your purposes well (oyster shells) but it also doesn’t help you if you’re doing extra work for nothing (egg shells)

He spoke at length about his interest in JADAM and KNF and taking measurements for data logging. You may find it interesting and be a bit more familiar, and as I said I’ll find what he was referencing

I'm just not putting Sheetrock in my planters, I'm not gonna do it! Lol. SS

 

[Azimuth]

I'm just not putting Sheetrock in my planters, I'm not gonna do it! Lol. SS

I would think the wall board Gypsum must have some binders or whatnot in them to hold them together as panels, so I wouldn't use that on my plants either without going some research on how they're put together.

Same with trying to use activated charcoal from a fan filter as a form of biochar. They use some sort of chemical to "activate" the charcoal that is likely no Bueno for human consumption and therefore probably not a good garden soil addition.

 

[bluter]

I would think the wall board Gypsum must have some binders or whatnot in them to hold them together as panels, so I wouldn't use that on my plants either without going some research on how they're put together.

Same with trying to use activated charcoal from a fan filter as a form of biochar. They use some sort of chemical to "activate" the charcoal that is likely no Bueno for human consumption and therefore probably not a good garden soil addition.

i've heard of outdoor growers burying the ash from their fire pits in the garden soil. it couldn't tell you if it has any benefit though. there are bits of char in it but it's mostly just ash.

 

[Keffka]

I'm just not putting Sheetrock in my planters, I'm not gonna do it! Lol. SS

Hah! Don’t see many labor jokes around here, especially not Dad level labor jokes

 

[Azimuth]

i've heard of outdoor growers burying the ash from their fire pits in the garden soil. it couldn't tell you if it has any benefit though. there are bits of char in it but it's mostly just ash.

The ash itself is a very good amendment in reasonable quantities, raises pH, adds lots of great minerals to the soil. Stuff like potatoes and garlic really benefit from it.

The raw charcoal from the fire pit needs to be "charged" before adding it to the garden otherwise it will suck in nutrients you want for your plants for the first couple of grow seasons. After that it becomes a great addition. Charging it can be as simple as mixing it with compost or castings for a month or two or soaking it in an organic tea of some sort if you're in a hurry.

 

[bluter]

The ash itself is a very good amendment in reasonable quantities, lowers pH, adds lots of great minerals to the soil. Stuff like potatoes and garlic really benefit from it.

The raw charcoal from the fire pit needs to be "charged" before adding it to the garden otherwise it will suck in nutrients you want for your plants for the first couple of grow seasons. After that it becomes a great addition. Charging it can be as simple as mixing it with compost or castings for a month or two or soaking it in an organic tea of some sort if you're in a hurry.

that's good to know.

 

[Azimuth]

that's good to know.

I make my own biochar and use it as a 10% portion of my mix. Here and here are how I do it.

 

[Azimuth]

According to @Emilya Green 's DIY CalMagPhos supplement recipe, the cooking is what makes the calcium available:

"The next step is to pan fry the egg shells to the point that most of them are brown or even black, and there are just a few white ones left. Heat changes the shells, and the white ones will be your phosphorus source and the burned ones will be the calcium."

I'd also like to add as an anecdote that I've stopped using my WCA as a foliar because the hard calcium minerals build up and clog up my sprayers, so there's definitely some calcium being made available at least, but no idea what the concentration might be.

 

[Azimuth]

that's good to know.

Edit: I should have said  raises pH since it acts like lime in the soil. I have corrected the original post.

 

[newfarmeragain]

Do you have an updated picture showing your concern? Small internode spacing can be quite a few things but I would need to see the whole plant to judge whether its growth or environmental.

From the pictures I’ve seen it looks directly related to your roots. They’re either choked off from oxygen due to poor aeration or the medium has stayed saturated too long preventing oxygen from reaching the roots.

That leaf on the left side has grown and is bigger but it still seems to have a lot of problems, I try to keep everything within the standards but nothing works, I've already sprayed a little water and the soil looks soggy but it's not, what happens is that every time it starts to develop, the tip becomes dry and the leaves die, this is not the first time this has happened.

 

[Bill284]

That leaf on the left side has grown and is bigger but it still seems to have a lot of problems, I try to keep everything within the standards but nothing works, I've already sprayed a little water and the soil looks soggy but it's not, what happens is that every time it starts to develop, the tip becomes dry and the leaves die, this is not the first time this has happened.

Either your soil is too hot or if it's coco you should be feeding very weak nutrients at 5.8 ph.


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[newfarmeragain]

Either your soil is too hot or if it's coco you should be feeding very weak nutrients at 5.8 ph.


Stay safe
Bill284

The soil is peat moss with perlite 70/30 and yeah i think its hot because the led light.
Could I water with cool water?

 

[Bill284]

The soil is peat moss with perlite 70/30 and yeah i think its hot because the led light.
Could I water with cool water?

Sorry my fault
Ok peat moss doesn't have any nutrients at all.
So you should be feeding a weak solution of what ever line you are using.
What's your preference?


Stay safe
Bill284

 

[newfarmeragain]

Sorry my fault
Ok peat moss doesn't have any nutrients at all.
So you should be feeding a weak solution of what ever line you are using.
What's your preference?


Stay safe
Bill284

My nutrients are a combination of GH (Vega Flora Micro).

Could some h2o2 solution and a root booster help in this case?

 

[Bill284]

My nutrients are a combination of GH (Vega Flora Micro).

Could some h2o2 solution and a root booster help in this case?

I'd mix a litre GH with 1100 ml of water and add a bit of root booster if you like and feed that for a week and reassess then.
I use a lot of perlite so I don't add h2o2.


Stay safe
Bill284