Hi guys just wondering if anyone has any experience in using treacle/molasses as an organic substitute for products such as cal/mag. I am using led lights and my growing medium is peat moss with a good measure of perlite and tomato feed for nutes, I am on a very low budget and I'm trying to use household items as there are no grow shops I can use too easily! Any help with this would be greatly appreciated.
Can I use molasses as a substitute for CalMag
- Thread starter cheese111
- Start date
shuffledemon
New Member
No - molasses will not replace cal/mag. Use molasses for potassium.
I give my plants a very inexpensive (non cannabis specific) organic diet. Check my grow journal below for more info - happy to answer any questions you might have.
I give my plants a very inexpensive (non cannabis specific) organic diet. Check my grow journal below for more info - happy to answer any questions you might have.
oldhippie64
New Member
I woud think crushd egg shells and epson salt woud be a good repacement for Calmag. You'd want to soak the eggshells over night and check the PPM to make sure you're not adding too much calcium
Ravyn
New Member
molasses is helpful for feeding your beneficial organisms. I use a pinch of epsom salts per gallon of nutes to bump CalMag. My well water starts with a bit as well. 150 ppm out of the tap.
maxinmaine
Active Member
I agree with oldhippie64! Had a buddy that did that egg shell trick, took the rust colored spots right away!! Don't forget the epsom.
theengineer
Well-Known Member
it takes a couple of years before eggshells decompose into a form that can be absorbed by plants, they are not a source of calcium for growing herb
theengineer
Well-Known Member
well, if you're an organic grower, be careful you don't pic up a non organic cal/may or you'll kill all the organic stuff in your soil
theengineer
Well-Known Member
well, if you're happy to introduce an element of risk that you feel out weighs every other effort that you take to the nth degree along the growing path to ensure a healthy plant, then go for it
kalikushkid
420 Member
Def looks like a cal mag deficiency. Also, your plants might be too close. I just purchased a 600w LED which i switched from CFL's and and even at 30" away my plants are still horribly bleached. They look the same color as this picture but no rust spots and i know its light bleaching cuz my shorter plants are fine.
phillip000
420 Member
Hey how you doing Auggie.. personally I have never used Cal mag because I always thought it was a chemical derivative.
But apparently there's a lot of different opinions One of the organic kind is ( CAL-MAG OAC) and until a few minutes ago I didn't know there was an organic brand but apparently the one that has (((OAC )))in the name is an organic... I use food grade Epsom salt magnesium sulfate if you can't find food grade Make sure you get the one that doesn't have perfumes in it.. as for calcium horticulture hydrated lime has tons of calcium in it it's about every kind you can think of it looks like calcium 51% calcium oxide 72.50% magnesium oxide 0.45
calcium carbonate equivalent 131.00%. I don't know what ENP or ENV but there's 130.35% of each is all derived from hydrating line I was having a pH problem yesterday at 6.2 which locks out all my magnesium and calcium Plus I use an RO water and 25% mix of coco-core with my Happy frog soil along with some bat guano in worm castings but to raise it I added to my 3 gallon grow bags two tablespoons of horticulture hydrated lime and today my pH numbers are 6.8 I could be wrong but I believe that's optimal for cannabis for soil hydroponics I think is more like 5.8 something like that anyway I'm not telling you to do anything I was just letting you know ultimately it's all up to you anyway and I still have lots to learn hopefully I can learn some stuff here
Peat Phreak
Well-Known Member
Molasses is NOT a good substitute for Cal Mag because it doesn't contain enough of either. A grow needs 200ppm calcium and 75 ppm Magnesium per feeding. You would have to use way too much molasses to get anywhere near that.
Cheap DIY cal mag without nitrogen:
1.5g / gal - Gypsum
1g / gal - Epsom salt
Cheap DIY cal mag with nitrogen:
1.5g / gal - Calcium Nitrate
1g / gal - Epsom salt
Both formulas have a 3:1 cal mag ratio when mixed with average tap water. Both formulas are 50% of the total cal mag requirement per feeding. Both are considerably less expensive than buying bottled cal mag.
Cheap DIY cal mag without nitrogen:
1.5g / gal - Gypsum
1g / gal - Epsom salt
Cheap DIY cal mag with nitrogen:
1.5g / gal - Calcium Nitrate
1g / gal - Epsom salt
Both formulas have a 3:1 cal mag ratio when mixed with average tap water. Both formulas are 50% of the total cal mag requirement per feeding. Both are considerably less expensive than buying bottled cal mag.
Swampdawg006
Well-Known Member
Oyster flour and Epsom salt, low budget.
seaofgreen18
Well-Known Member
Hi guys just wondering if anyone has any experience in using treacle/molasses as an organic substitute for products such as cal/mag. I am using led lights and my growing medium is peat moss with a good measure of perlite and tomato feed for nutes, I am on a very low budget and I'm trying to use household items as there are no grow shops I can use too easily! Any help with this would be greatly appreciated. Crushed eggshells takes awhile to break down but or crushed oyster shellmolasses is a microbe food
seaofgreen18
Well-Known Member
Crushed eggshells or crushed oyster shells molasses is a microbe food
Yes, this. Molasses to feed the micro-organisms in the soil but will do little as a calcium source.
To add to what 'seaofgreen18' brings up.
Crushed oyster shells and crushed egg shells will work.The smaller they are crushed the sooner the calcium will become available. Best to crush them up so that the shells are like a flour used in the kitchen .
Plaster of Paris can be used. It is made out of gypsum and has been used by farmers and gardeners for over 150 years.
