Using powdered gypsum slurry to add quick calcium to soil?

[pointer80]

Hello all, I was told by a experienced grower that a couple of my plants that are in pots are in need of some more calcium. I have a bag of powdered gypsum left from when I mixed up my super soil and was wondering if I could dissolve in water and use to add calcium to my plants? If so what would the ratio be on how to mix it? Thanks all.

 

[Tony Urban]

I read up on that before. It’s dangerous to alter the ratios in the soil with gypsum. Throws out the balance and absorption of other nutrients. Might be better to get some calcium/magnesium nutrients. I think it can be done, if done carefully, but I don’t have that answer.

 

[Weaselcracker]

Skybound uses it and can definitely answer that question for you. You can find him on this thread here Making Your Own Nutrient Concentrates

 

[bobrown14]

Gypsum is not soluble or not very much so.

You're better off foliar on some micronized Calcium. Put it where the leaves can adsorb it.

Ca in not a very easy element for the plant to transport due to its insolubility.

That's 6 syllable word there. I should win sometime for that one. lol

Ca is actually soluble but difficult for plants to uptake. You need Nitrate either natural or chemical as a transport mechanism. There a other Ca transporters.

Just adding Ca in whatever form is counter productive during plant life. Why farmers lime fields after harvest or very early spring. They will only do that after soil testing.


Brix growers like to have low Ca if you care about that sort of thing.

Hey @pointer80 what makes you wanna add in Gypsum during a grow??

Maybe Subcool has a better idea?

I'm going with:

You be chasing tail once you go down that calcium rat hole.
Step back away from the bag of gypsum and thank me later. lol

Look to micronized Ca made for foiler applications. That's actually being used on grape vines to make wine and such. Those grape growers are using science to grow grapes again. They do amazing shit. Wait till the college kids get a hold of weed.

 

[pointer80]

Gypsum is not soluble or not very much so.

You're better off foliar on some micronized Calcium. Put it where the leaves can adsorb it.

Ca in not a very easy element for the plant to transport due to its insolubility.

That's 6 syllable word there. I should win sometime for that one. lol

Ca is actually soluble but difficult for plants to uptake. You need Nitrate either natural or chemical as a transport mechanism. There a other Ca transporters.

Just adding Ca in whatever form is counter productive during plant life. Why farmers lime fields after harvest or very early spring. They will only do that after soil testing.


Brix growers like to have low Ca if you care about that sort of thing.

Hey @pointer80 what makes you wanna add in Gypsum during a grow??

Maybe Subcool has a better idea?

I'm going with:

You be chasing tail once you go down that calcium rat hole.
Step back away from the bag of gypsum and thank me later. lol

Look to micronized Ca made for foiler applications. That's actually being used on grape vines to make wine and such. Those grape growers are using science to grow grapes again. They do amazing shit. Wait till the college kids get a hold of weed.

I was told by another local grower that if the leaves are yellowing and browning on the tips then it has a calcium deficiency?

 

[bobrown14]

OK - my plants are usually always yellow at some point.


Post a pic here so we can see whats up??


Yellow and brown tips:

This:

DSC_0002 (2).JPG

• bobrown14
• Aug 7, 2019

Future S1 #1

turns into this:

20190804_215205.jpg

• bobrown14
• Aug 16, 2019

Liquid Imagination #2

Notice there aren't any yellow leaves in the last pic.

 

[pointer80]

OK - my plants are usually always yellow at some point.


Post a pic here so we can see whats up??


Yellow and brown tips:

This:

DSC_0002 (2).JPG

• bobrown14
• Aug 7, 2019

Future S1 #1

turns into this:

20190804_215205.jpg

• bobrown14
• Aug 16, 2019

Liquid Imagination #2

Notice there aren't any yellow leaves in the last pic.

here are some pics, these are the only two I have in pots, The rest are in the ground

 

[Bush Doctor 77]

Any CaCO3 source will work such as dolomite or lime. Dissolve it in water and use the water carefully. I bet Tums would be fine but Ca/Mg supplement is the way to get it to the plant quick.

 

[bobrown14]

You can do the gypsum with the plants in the ground. Its likely not going to do a lot but it might help whatever you think is a problem.

The yellow leaf edge thing in only a few leaves I wouldn't worry. I would bet they turn completely yellow and fall off. That's normal, and expected specially this time of year when the plants are starting to flower. Those older fan leaves the largest ones, have a function - growing the plant.

The replacement smaller fans that are forming now close to the flowers - they are for the flowers. Keep focused on the flowers and the leaves closest to those flowers. You can trim away anything down low that doesn't look like it's going to be a potential flower.

Your plants look great - good job. You're doing very very well.

You have no calcium deficit. The real only way to know is have your soil tested at the county extension service. Its FREE in many states.

 

[pointer80]

You can do the gypsum with the plants in the ground. Its likely not going to do a lot but it might help whatever you think is a problem.

The yellow leaf edge thing in only a few leaves I wouldn't worry. I would bet they turn completely yellow and fall off. That's normal, and expected specially this time of year when the plants are starting to flower. Those older fan leaves the largest ones, have a function - growing the plant.

The replacement smaller fans that are forming now close to the flowers - they are for the flowers. Keep focused on the flowers and the leaves closest to those flowers. You can trim away anything down low that doesn't look like it's going to be a potential flower.

Your plants look great - good job. You're doing very very well.

You have no calcium deficit. The real only way to know is have your soil tested at the county extension service. Its FREE in many states.

Thank you. These two plants are actually in 30 gallon pots in bagged soil. They were a after thought that I didn't have room for in the ground. My plants in the ground in coot's mix are doing quite well.

 

[The Bard]

Interesting discussion for sure!

Brix growers like to have low Ca if you care about that sort of thing.

I was curious about this @bobrown14... I am not a high brix grower, but I do think a lot of folks who are using that approach get some pretty amazing results. But I thought part of the brix regime was high calcium in the soil mixes? I will have to go back and refresh my memory.

 

[bobrown14]

HiBrix is not just cannabis. I'm only somewhat familiar with how other than cannabis plants grown hibrix. Thought it was all the same?

I don't mean LOW Ca - just adequate Ca. On a soil test that would be considered optimum. Not high and not low.

Brix I think they like a lot of Potassium and lower nitrates. Nitrates take away from the brix and Potassium adds to brix.

Thats the theory or part of it I think. I don't grow Brix but I do many of the things Brix growers do. Specially foliar sprays and the use of Kelp Meal/Kelp teas.

 

[The Bard]

HiBrix is not just cannabis. I'm only somewhat familiar with how other than cannabis plants grown hibrix. Thought it was all the same?

I don't mean LOW Ca - just adequate Ca. On a soil test that would be considered optimum. Not high and not low.

Got it! I will have to go hunting for the reference I saw, as I am recalling high CA was part of the magic. You are right, not just cannabis, but lots of other crops as well.

 

[The Bard]

Got it! I will have to go hunting for the reference I saw, as I am recalling high CA was part of the magic. You are right, not just cannabis, but lots of other crops as well.

@bobrown14 here's the reference I was recalling. It comes from @Doc Bud's website....

Doc Bud’s High-Brix soil is unlike any other super soil, or potting soil out there. We have WAY MORE calcium than they do. First time kit users are often surprised most by how strong their stems are and how little support they need. Thank calcium for that!

As I said, I'm not really a soil grower, but I knew something about high mineral content, especially CA, was a big part of the philosophy. Was driving me a bit crazy trying to recall where I had read about it!

 

[bobrown14]

Yeah I use a high calcium soil as well and looking at "traditional" high brix they don't use as much as I do.

I'm not familiar with Doc's kit and whats in it. In your quote it does say "We have WAY MORE calcium than they do. "

Likely not more that whats in the Coots mix I use.

On my soil test I'm usually off the chart with Ca. This is a look at a soil test I got back a few weeks ago on soil I've been using over and over for 3 years now. Looks even better now that it did when I first mixed it.

2019-08-06 (2).png

• bobrown14
• Aug 9, 2019

2019 test

 

[The Bard]

Yeah I use a high calcium soil as well and looking at "traditional" high brix they don't use as much as I do.

I'm not familiar with Doc's kit and whats in it. In your quote it does say "We have WAY MORE calcium than they do. "

Likely not more that whats in the Coots mix I use.

On my soil test I'm usually off the chart with Ca. This is a look at a soil test I got back a few weeks ago on soil I've been using over and over for 3 years now. Looks even better now that it did when I first mixed it.

2019-08-06 (2).png

• bobrown14
• Aug 9, 2019

2019 test

Cool! I don't use Doc's kit either, although those who do seem to love it. I was just using it as one reference regarding CA levels. I was confused as in your earlier post you said:

Brix growers like to have low Ca if you care about that sort of thing.

Was just trying to figure out if you meant low CA or high CA. Doesn't really matter.

 

[bobrown14]

in my quote - by "low" I mean optimum neither low nor high. Which is a lot lower than most cannabis growers want to grow with including me.


The way I understand Brix (not cannabis brix) is that there's ratios at play and to get high brix they usually don't overload with Ca like I do. I'm mindful of the Ca:Mg ratio as well as a few other ratios. I use fast, mid and long term release Ca sources so that's not really part of the soil test per se. The test even states they know I'm overloading Ca.

Even tho my Ca is off the charts its not at all in soluble form. So there's more to the picture there. I depend on the soil microbes to break it down for the plants. I let them work out what the needs are and just be sure there's a good supply.

Lots of folks look at my flowering plants down the stretch and they see yellowing and think I've got Ca issues. Yellow leaves are what they are. It's just part of the natural cycle.