cal-mag is it really needed
- Thread starter conni
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941mick
Well-Known Member
It depends on if your using tap water with sufficient amounts already provided from that(get your water tested!), and the amounts of natural Ca and Mg in your medium, but if your in an inert medium(peat moss, coco, water) using distilled or RO then yes it is needed. The only base nutrient I have worked with where I didn't need a CaMg supplement in my Pro-Mix medium is House and Garden Coco A&B.
oilmaker68
Well-Known Member
I find it essential personally. I grow with LED'S so it's a must
Blindnslow
Well-Known Member
I use FF and find about the 2nd week into fowler it is usually needed. If nothing else its good to have on hand in case you run into a problem. Better to have it and not need it, than to need it and not have it..
Silky Shagsalot
Well-Known Member
i grow in coco, and early on i use pure blend veg. instead of my regular nutes. i sometimes see a mag. def. but i don't use cal-mag. i use epsom salt @ 1 tbsp. per gal. of water. works very well, and is cheap...
941mick
Well-Known Member
Whether cheap or not that is a supplement...
greenlikemoney
Well-Known Member
It is wise to have some on hand. Said a wise man.
941mick
Well-Known Member
Many due indeed and their are plenty of places to source bulk fertilizer salts. Like silky pointed out Epsom Salt is a cheap source of Mg. Bone Meal would also be a relatively cheap source of Ca, which also has other benefits. Many ways to skin this cat!
oilmaker68
Well-Known Member
Well I didnt use it once I got into flower (only God knows why I stopped) and a mg defficiency nearly killed my plants and they looked spectacular before hand so from now on I will use magne-cal every single time at every stage. Mg toxicity is rare so why not?
I use CalMag+. But, you can feed Epsom salt to target Mg deficiency more precisely.
Sources of calcium could be dolomite/calcitic lime mixed into your soil before planting. 1 Tbsp/gal of soil (some use 2-3 Tbsp). These pages discuss dissolving eggshells in vinegar for use during transition when, the authors believe, plants need heavy amounts of calcium.
- http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0422555019136.html#GWCPostBody5
- http://gilcarandang.com/recipes/calphos/
I've been doing it and happy with the results. I found I still needed Mg in flower, which I can satisfy with Epsom. I use RO water, so I've been doing CalMag++ at 2ml/gal in veg and also in flower (after the eggshell in transition). I'm thinking I might get by with 1/3-dose eggshell at those times along with Epsom.
When I have $500 worth of bud from a plant, I don't sweat $40-$50 for a gallon of CalMag+ when it will last me a long time. But, after starting the eggshell/transition supplement, I'm thinking it may be easy to eliminate it.
D_Urbmon
Well-Known Member
I have always wondered about this myself. I have never gotten a straight answer. I use RO water with GH Flora 3 part but haven't experienced any deficiencies. Then again I topdressed with pelletized dolomite 3 weeks into veg. I also use a silica supplement(Liquid Rock). If I were to buy GH CALiMAGic and dose my RO water full strength could I hurt the plants?
941mick
Well-Known Member
I would say that it is probably not needed if you were still using the dolomite. If not using the dolomite, no you wouldn't have an issue going full strength on the 3 part and adding calimagic. If in soiless/coco I highly recommend the GO CaMg over the magic, since the GO CaMg+ is carbonate based and not nitrate based like the magic.
D_Urbmon
Well-Known Member
Cheers! Oops forgot to mention yes I am soilless. Sunshine#4 and/or Promix HP. I am really interested in the whole GO line. As soon as I burn through this flora I'm gonna try it out. Thanks for the recommendation.
Is there such a thing as too much cal mag though? I'm wondering if adding more would help me dial this in.
941mick
Well-Known Member
I would say in my experience that the 3 part flora series is going to perform better than the GO bases overall, pH is a huge concern with the GO line because of how acidic it is. There is no reason why you couldn't use the GO CaMg+ with flora though.
Yes you can have too much Ca and Mg, and it's easy to get too much with nitrate based CaMg products, however I can use 5ml/gallon of CaMg+ every watering and never have an issue and haven't had a deficiency since using it that way.
dannyboy602
Well-Known Member
Cannabis are mag esium whores. If ur outdoors then dont worry about it as soils outside are rarely deficient in mag. Indoors depends on the soil mix u use. Get some dolo lime which u need anyway and some epsom salts and u wont regret it
desertdog
Well-Known Member
Never use tap water unless it is all you have until you can set up a good RO. Tap water has a lot of flouride in it and plants grow much slower on it. Ok CLMg is one of the most important things you can give your plant it does so much for vegging it will determine how small your crop is, and your plants will grow faster with it meaning CROP INSTEAD OF SLOP. When she goes into flower switch to Cal/Sulfer. Cheap source would be Raw Molasses. The flower needs more Sulfer to get bigger and fatter, and I think color. When my girls are in flower I use three sugars and only give them Cal Mag once or twice if they look like they need it. Remember Cal Mag deficiency runs from bottom, to mid, to top. Nitro issues start at bottom work up one step at a time. That is how I tell the difference and I am always right using that observation and my girls go nuts for me. If you are growing in soil you can also mix in some soil sulfur into the top of soil and water in well, or make teas with it in there. I do both. You will love the results. The tea will work in hydro as well. Happy flower power
If you're not experiencing deficiencies, there's no need to experiment like that.
GH Flora's "micro" has enough calmag in it for our RO water. They sell a "micro hardwater" for people with higher ppm water. It has less calcium. That's probably why you don't need calmag too much.
BTW: powdered dolomite operates on the soil much faster. Pellets can take a year. If you bought powered, or ground your pellets into powder using a mortar, you could probably use 1/4 what you use now as pellets.
I used GH Flora 3-part and loved it. I'd like to try GH Flora Nova which is organic'ish, supposed to have ph buffers like the 3-part, and is more concentrated (not measuring out huge amounts of 3 part).
If you're dissuaded from GO due to mick's comment, consider Nova.