CalMag - How does it fit into the watering schedule?

[mulga bill]

G,Day All. When adding cal/mag to the watering schedule do you add it to the fertilizer mix after the ferts mix has been ph,d ? then water all together ? Or do you water plants first,then water with a separate mix of cal/mag ?How is it done ? Also how often do you use cal/mag in the watering schedule ? I am treating the pots like Hydro, i water once every day. I am getting much better results this way, rather than treating the Coco like soil and watering when the pots dry out a bit.

 

[mulga bill]

Hi, Budking, sorry, you have already answered the questions.I should have concentrated a bit more.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Sounds like you figured it out (?).
I use 4 or 5 ml/gallon calmag as a base in my water. (I run off of rainwater- and just add the calmag to my water reservoirs.) So I pretty much use it every time I feed and water. The only time I don't use calmag is pre-harvest.
Also pay attention to how much N is in your calmag. Most calmag versions contain quite a bit of it. Mine contains 2/3 as much as my Grow nutrient does. I actually use the calmag/water mix on its own as a fertilizer for the young plants.

 

[mulga bill]

G,day,Weaselcracker. As you can see i am watering into pots. What i would like to know is, do i water my pots with the nutrient mix first then the cal/mag, or the other way around ? or it doesn,t matter ? It may sound like a silly question, but if you water with the cal/mag last wont a lot of the nutrient mix be forced out the bottom of the pot as runoff ? The cal/mag i am using does not have any N in it at all, it only contains,Ca 41% and Mg 6%. On the bottle it is called,Liquid Lime and Dolomite. I was assured this would do the job ? and to use it at the rate of 1ml per1ltr water, but no instructions on how often to use it.To use cal/mag every watering seems a lot to me? At the moment i am coming across a lot of conflicting information,so it is difficult to know what to do ! My plants are growing NOW, so i need to get this right,i have read dozens and dozens of threads and they all seem to have a different way of doing things ! Thanks for your help Weaselcracker it is very much appreciated.

 

[Suntana]

Hey mulga, add the cal/mag to your regular nutrient mix, feed all together. How much will depend on what's already in your water. I use RO so I add roughly 150 ppm of cal/mag then all my other nutrients. Cal mag will increase your nitrogen content. I use it every feed because I need it, you on the other hand might not, depending on your water.

 

[Suntana]

G,day,Weaselcracker. As you can see i am watering into pots. What i would like to know is, do i water my pots with the nutrient mix first then the cal/mag, or the other way around ? or it doesn,t matter ? It may sound like a silly question, but if you water with the cal/mag last wont a lot of the nutrient mix be forced out the bottom of the pot as runoff ? The cal/mag i am using does not have any N in it at all, it only contains,Ca 41% and Mg 6%. On the bottle it is called,Liquid Lime and Dolomite. I was assured this would do the job ? and to use it at the rate of 1ml per1ltr water, but no instructions on how often to use it.To use cal/mag every watering seems a lot to me? At the moment i am coming across a lot of conflicting information,so it is difficult to know what to do ! My plants are growing NOW, so i need to get this right,i have read dozens and dozens of threads and they all seem to have a different way of doing things ! Thanks for your help Weaselcracker it is very much appreciated.

This also may help
How to Prevent Nitrogen, Calcium & Magnesium Deficiencies (N & Cal-Mag) | Grow Weed Easy

 

[Weaselcracker]

Ok I thought you meant calmag as in the common bottled forms of it. You
can probably disregard everything I said then. I googled 'liquid lime' and got this.

Application – change hydrangea flower colour to pink, maintain pink flower colour. Raise soil pH and make soil sweeter (more alkaline).
Rate – mix 25ml in 5L of water. Ensure all the measured liquid is washed into the final mix.
Frequency -Every 3-4 weeks.
Timing – Apply any time of year or after winter pruning to adjust and maintain flower colour.
Area – 5L/5m2, apply to moist soil around plant.

I doubt if it matters whether you apply it before, with, or after the nutrient mix.

But- I don't see this as being a good product for the hydro ph range, which is what coco uses. Looks like it's for soil.

 

[mulga bill]

G,day,Suntana and Weaselcracker. Thanks for that info on the application of the cal/mag. I just finished reading that "grow weed easy" info,, thanks for that suntana. It seems to me i have the WRONG cal/mag, i will have to go visit my nearest Hydro supplies store,Pronto !Yes Weaselcracker, that info is almost exactly what it says on the back of the bottle i have,bloody amazing ! Thanks fellas .

 

[killa4lyfe]

i only use calmag when using ro water tap water i use epson salt

 

[mulga bill]

G,Day Killa4lyfe.I will have to ask my local water authority what is in my tap water,i think it might have a fair bit of calcium already.I shall also look into the feasibility of RO water. Thankyou for your input. I learn more here every day.

 

[Mayne]

now, is cal/mag plus needed? with Iron?

I cant find cal-mag plus anywhere, but found a cal/mag supplement from another company, not sure the name, made a phone call.

is the Iron needed for coco and RO water? with FoxFarm Trio?

 

[mulga bill]

G,Day, Mayne. I use a supplement from "Cyco" nutrients called Dr Repair,the information on the container says " Dr.Repair is designed to breathe new life into your plants by treating iron deficiency,one of the most common causes of chlorosis."

 

[Mayne]

Ended up getting Mag-Cal plus, no, not Cal-Mag plus, Mag-Cal plus, lol.. its just the same almost tho, 2-0-0

Now, the problem, or not the problem, is I see LEDRF says 1ml per gallon, then I see others say get the PPM to 200 with Cal-mag, then add nutes. Using R/o water, ppm is zero, and needs 35ml just to get it to 200ppms.

When adding just 1ml, it took ppm to just 003,

I know ledrf is the master at this coco, 003 or 1ml just seems not right for RO./??

 

[gr865]

In RO 2 grams of Epsom and then add 1 ml at a time to get to 120 ppm then add base nutes, for me that is 3 ml Cal/Magic.

 

[Mayne]

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhh, ok,

didnt know about the ES,

Thanks man,

 

[gr865]

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhh, ok,

didnt know about the ES,

Thanks man,

That is based on 5 gallons of RO

 

[Weaselcracker]

You shouldn't need to add Epsom salts if you're already providing a source with the Mag-Cal.
Assuming your EC meter is working, it sounds like the Mag Cal gives a different ppm reading than Cal-mag. If in doubt just follow the instructions on the bottle. It's really not rocket science and the exact amount isn't that important. I just use the bottle cap. Caps are generally a standard size at 10ml for a 4l bottle and 5ml size for the small bottles. I splash in about 5ml/gallon (of Cal-Mag) or a bit less.

 

[gr865]

You shouldn't need to add Epsom salts if you're already providing a source with the Mag-Cal.
Assuming your EC meter is working, it sounds like the Mag Cal gives a different ppm reading than Cal-mag. If in doubt just follow the instructions on the bottle. It's really not rocket science and the exact amount isn't that important. I just use the bottle cap. Caps are generally a standard size at 10ml for a 4l bottle and 5ml size for the small bottles. I splash in about 5ml/gallon (of Cal-Mag) or a bit less.

Yes your are correct that you don't need the Epsom, and 4 to 5 ml of Cal/Magic gets me to the place I want to start adding my base nutes. I guess it's a holdover from when I was using H3ads formula for coco, and it also is cheap to use and I have it for my garden anyway. I sure noticed a difference when I began using it yrs ago.

GR

BTW Wease, I have been following you grows, very nice work man!

 

[gr0w]

What Ca/mg do you guys use?
I am currently using General Organics CaMg+ but open to other brands.
I might start using CaliMagic from General Hydroponics rather than the organic