Calcium in tap water vs Cal-Mag & what's in CALiMAGic?

[Johnny 5spot8]

I've been having calcium deficiencies in my plants so I figure 'I've got hard water I'll just substitute some tap water for RO water.' This didn't work so I tried using even more tap water. My calcium deficiency became even worse. I then read that the calcium in tap water is in the form of calcium carbonate and cannot readily be absorbed by the plant and can instead block up the roots and prevent them from absorbing other nutrients.

So I went to the store and bought the General Hydroponics Cal-Mag product called CALiMAGic. It's 1-0-0 with 5% calcium, 1.5% magnesium, and 0.1% iron. When I get home I notice the calcium is derived from calcium carbonate, the same stuff as tap water, doh. Will my plants have similar difficulty absorbing it as opposed to calcium nitrate derived Cal-Mag products?

I also notice it has the same amount of calcium 5% as FloraMicro. It's the same price too. What the heck is in CALiMAGic to make it so expensive for what you seem to get? Do they add some chemicals to make the calcium easier to absorb? Fluvic acid or something?

Lastly, since my plants were in calcium deficit would I want to use more Cal-Mag initially like 300ppm or just the regular recommended amount ~100-250ppm?

-thx for your help

 

[Antics]

What lights are you using?
Light distance from canopy?

What medium are you growing in?

What is the PH of your water?
Ph of water/nutes?
Ph of medium/PH of runoff?

 

[Johnny 5spot8]

The plant in question is currently flushing and about to be harvested, so I'm not interested in her as much as I am about Cal-Mag products in general.

• Is calcium derived from Calcium Carbonate as good as calcium derived from Calcium Nitrate or Calcium Chloride?
• Why are Cal-Mag products so expensive? It seems like they should be the cheapest products in the store...
• What else besides the listed ingredients are in them?
• If your plant has a calcium deficiency should you treat it with extra calcium, or just follow the recommended dose for healthy plants?

 

[Antics]

It's lights off here now, I'll get some of that info tomorrow.

I have no idea why they charge the price they do, that might be better asked of the company.

The product I use allows a range of 1-2tsp/gal. However, I chose to increase the dose to 3/4 TBSP/gal, as I was still seeing some Calcium deficiencies appear when I used less.

 

[Antics]

The plant in question is currently flushing and about to be harvested, so I'm not interested in her as much as I am about Cal-Mag products in general.

• Is calcium derived from Calcium Carbonate as good as calcium derived from Calcium Nitrate or Calcium Chloride?
• Why are Cal-Mag products so expensive? It seems like they should be the cheapest products in the store...
• What else besides the listed ingredients are in them?
• If your plant has a calcium deficiency should you treat it with extra calcium, or just follow the recommended dose for healthy plants?

I'm using General Organics CaMg.

Calcium derived from Calcium Carbonate, Magnesium derived from Magnesium Carbonate

 

[newoldguy]

They charge high prices because they can and they're used by a specialized subset of the growing public.

One can make their own calcium rich liquid or use something like epsom salts for the magnesium,
but you would need to test to see what % of each is in the liquid.

Most people find it easier to simply plop down the money and buy a premade product.
Same for almost all nutes.

 

[Johnny 5spot8]

Apparently you can just buy solid Calcium-Nitrate on eBay and save a ton. It's 15.5-0-0 with 19% Calcium and is water soluble. FloraMicro is 5-0-1 with 5% Calcium. So it looks like Calcium-Nitrate is a main ingredient in it. Making your own custom hydroponics solution may be easier then I had thought. I sure hope Cal-Mag products have Fluvic acid or something similar in them to provide a bit of bonus value.

 

[Antics]

Apparently you can just buy solid Calcium-Nitrate on eBay and save a ton. It's 15.5-0-0 with 19% Calcium and is water soluble. FloraMicro is 5-0-1 with 5% Calcium. So it looks like Calcium-Nitrate is a main ingredient in it. Making your own custom hydroponics solution may be easier then I had thought. I sure hope Cal-Mag products have Fluvic acid or something similar in them to provide a bit of bonus value.

15.5 N is enough for me to say no. In addition to normal nutes, with that high of a Nitrogen level, you're going to run into Nitrogen toxicity real fast, and that condition alone is enough to lock out Potassium, and Calcium.

I would absolutely avoid that product.

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