Newfun
Well-Known Member
I roasted my shells outside in the fire pit outside. Crushed them up, added scented apple cider vinegar. I had homemade Rosemary vinegar and Mint vinegar for the fun of it. Will be ready in 10 more days. Thanks again, Emilya
Emmie's DIY CalMagPhos+ From Eggshells
ITheNorth
Well-Known Member
Is it the liquid or the solid left over that is the CalMag? I'm thinking the solid...This is an awesome product to use during the changeover period from growing to flowering/fruiting on all of your plants. For most of us, by using molasses we are able to get the magnesium that our plants need, but for our calcium needs, most of us have to fall back on a commercial product, and we end up buying one of the many versions of calmag supplement that are available. Because of a lock on the market by being the only source of an important nutrient, prices for this supplement, especially organic versions, are way overpriced.
I am going to show you how to make a superior calcium supplement that is cheap, easy to make and definitely cheaper than the commercial versions. By using organic materials, not only can calcium and magnesium be easily supplied, but also phosphorus, potassium and natural enzymes, making our homemade supplement just as "plus" as calmag+.
Any bones, sea shells, oysters, clam shells or egg shells can be used. Being severely landlocked in the midwest, I chose to use eggshells to create my calcium phosphate.
First collect about a dozen eggs and wash each egg out after use to get rid of the filaments and protein inside. I washed mine out and sat them on the windowsill for a couple of days to dry out, and then using my hands crumbled them up into a bowl.
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.
Here they are just starting to turn
And here we have the eggshells burned just right.
Next we put the cooked shells into a coffee grinder or in some other way grind them up into a powder.
Next, add 5 parts vinegar to the pile of powdered eggshells. I used an organic organic apple cider vinegar in order to capture its natural goodness too. This step will fizz up quite dramatically, depending on how well you ground up the egg shells, and I suggest doing this in your kitchen sink. The vinegar is going to eat the egg shells, and it will fizz for a while.
After about half a day, the fizzing should mostly stop. Seal the jar up and let this ferment for 20 days. Filter into another jar, and you have homemade calcium phosphate. Use it by adding 1 tablespoon per gallon of water. Add 1 tablespoon of molasses to the gallon and you will have with the combination the equivalent of using calmag+ at the recommended dosages.
I spent $18 on my last quart of organic calmag. My homemade product costs pennies per gallon to produce. Guess what I will be using from now on?
- Thread starter
- #143
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
Ideally there is not any solid left that will not easily shake up back into the solution. If you have solid, you didn't use enough vinegar. It is all calmag and phosphorus, with most of the mag coming in with the molasses.
ITheNorth
Well-Known Member
Thank you
CADBOY
Well-Known Member
Can we make this without molasses?
I use just regular calmag and would love to make an all natural one that does exactly the same thing.
I use just regular calmag and would love to make an all natural one that does exactly the same thing.
CADBOY
Well-Known Member
Plz correct me if I got this wrong.
1 cup egg shells crushed
Cook em till black/tan/ some white left
Powderize eggs shells.
Use 5 to 1 ratio of shells with apple cider vinegar, sit for 20 days. Stran and now you have a concentrated solution that is mixed as 1 tablespoon per 1 gal of water yes? Can we add all the molasses in the concentrat only or it must be during dilution?
This is only for Magnesium and Potassium correct?
Any idea if we can also add in some boiled banana peels into the concentrate mix to give bigger PK boost to it?
1 cup egg shells crushed
Cook em till black/tan/ some white left
Powderize eggs shells.
Use 5 to 1 ratio of shells with apple cider vinegar, sit for 20 days. Stran and now you have a concentrated solution that is mixed as 1 tablespoon per 1 gal of water yes? Can we add all the molasses in the concentrat only or it must be during dilution?
This is only for Magnesium and Potassium correct?
Any idea if we can also add in some boiled banana peels into the concentrate mix to give bigger PK boost to it?
- Thread starter
- #147
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
you can make it without molasses and you will have calcium phosphate, which will be great at supplying calcium and phosphorus, but it will not have magnesium in it. Adding molasses does not make this product any less natural, but it does eliminate its effectiveness to fight a magnesium deficiency.
i would recommend going visually for more black and tan when you are cooking them... there will still be plenty of white that you can not see. I find that if I do this right I really don't have much to strain, so I do not... its all good stuff, right? I just shake it up and add it at 1tbl/gal. I add all the molasses immediately to the concentrate, but have also been known to give another tbls of molasses per gallon when I am watering just because I like using molasses... I use it in just about everything around here because it is the perfect food for microbes.
I am also a fan of banana extracts, and you will find that a fermentation frees up more potassium than boiling does. I see no harm in adding it to this mix, but be careful... both magnesium and calcium can be over applied and if this mixture is used more as a nute than a specific supplement for these two troublemakers, it is easy to get in trouble. I use the banana potassium more as a finishing nute than an overall supplement, and I would probably want to use more than would be used in this mixture anyway. I think it is probably best to keep these two supplements separate for those reasons, although like I said... its not going to hurt anything in the amounts that you use the calmagphos supplement.
I used this diluted at 5ml (1 tsp) per gallon of water as part of my regular feed routine - my plants seem to like it fine with no signs of deficiency nor toxicity. I also used this on my tomato garden this year and the tomatoes love it! Thanks Emilya 
Newfun
Well-Known Member
I have used Emilya's calmagphos from oyster shell and my outdoor plants are 10' monsters. My 1 indoor ladies has super long pistils (thanks Amy Gardener or correct spelling). Also, using her Lab's recipe. I noticed a huge difference after starting the Lab's.
Thank you Emily's.
Thank you Emily's.
CADBOY
Well-Known Member
Any recommendations on level of heat being used on your stove or type of frying pan? Cast iron ect?
Ive collected 12 egg shells and cleaned them out. Letting them dry out for a few days now.
Also I got apple cider vinegar with the mother left inside. This would be good to use with your recipe yes?
Ive collected 12 egg shells and cleaned them out. Letting them dry out for a few days now.
Also I got apple cider vinegar with the mother left inside. This would be good to use with your recipe yes?
- Thread starter
- #151
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
You will want a good amount of heat and a cast iron skillet would be perfect. Many people elect because of the smell to do this outside on a campfire or bbq grill.
The apple cider vinegar sounds perfect... use it with confidence.
Newfun
Well-Known Member
Since I did my oyster shells outside don't know temp. But the Apple videos the way to go.
Good luck and enjoy.
Good luck and enjoy.
CADBOY
Well-Known Member
Ive got no choice but to this inside.
I will try med heat untill they burn up nice. Thank you
Newfun
Well-Known Member
Hi CADBOY. How'd it go?
CADBOY
Well-Known Member
Haven't attempt it yet lol
Elevated Lighting Company
Well-Known Member
This is an awesome thread. I personally have a flock of chickens and all the egg shells go into the compost pile for our organic soil we use in our grows!
CADBOY
Well-Known Member
Not sure if you knew. But if you get burned in the kitchen, literally take a egg from the fridge and crack it open over the burn and rub it in for a min. It will almost instantly stop the pain and in fact will help prevent any kind of scarring because it soaks in through many layers of skin. Let it sit dry on your burn for about 1 hr and wash off. From experience of being a professional cook for close to 20yrs with many times Ive been burned with very little scars. Thanks to our eggs 
CADBOY
Well-Known Member
So ive got 14 eggs shells now, washed and dryed. Gonna smash them up into tiny peices and cook on stove over medium heat in a regular frying pan till I either gag from the stink or its almost completely black peices. So this is a 5 to 1 recipe correct? Lastly when I put it all in a Mason jar for fermentation, is the lid on tight? Or loose? Or I should use a cheesecloth style lid for 20 days?
- Thread starter
- #159
Emilya Green
Well-Known Member
yes, 5:1 but don't stress over getting it exact. The first day or two there is a lot of pressure that builds up but the mason jar will be able to handle it just fine, but you might want to burp it a couple of times. I do keep it tight just to keep contaminants out. A cheesecloth lid would probably work too, but not necessary. Good luck!
CADBOY
Well-Known Member
Nice. Thanks
