Da Almighty Jew
Well-Known Member
If anybody uses this please help me out thank you.
Dear subcool, what kind of powdered cal mag should i use?? thanks
- Thread starter Da Almighty Jew
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Da Almighty Jew
Well-Known Member
subcool thanks for the quick reply. you da man. I'm just worried because I use ro water. I think i will just add back the cal mag and use pure ro water for the last two weeks. Because everybody i talked to doesn't know and i did a ton of searching on the internet and cant find it. If there is anybody out there that uses this powdered cal mag, can you please show me the stuff to use? thanks
kushking42
Well-Known Member
i too have looked with no success for powdered cal mag. i plan on adding additional epsom salts to my next batch along with oyster shell flour for the calcium. until then i use General Organics CaMg+ as liquid additive with great success.
Another thumbs up here for the GO CaMg+. I use tap water that has plenty of calcium and magnesium anyway, but every few waterings I mix up a dose of this stuff for the girls and they love it. Keeps 'em nice and green, plus it has molasses in it and revs up the micro herd.
The lime doesn't break down quickly enough to provide ample calcium and magnesium. You will definitely need to supplement if you are using straight r/o water. Also, don't use any Cal Mag supplement with calcium nitrate in it, like Botanicare or Advanced or Techniflora. Supersoil is very high in N as it is and you will overdose your plants if you use these products. The GO CaMg+ rocks for organics.
Rrog
Well-Known Member
Ah. I thought the purpose of the prilled was to release more quickly
Da Almighty Jew
Well-Known Member
i guess i'll just stick with liquid cal mag for now since i have a gallon of it. but i'm gonna get the organic stuff when i run out.
It's prilled for worker safety, less dust exposure. Dolomite should be used as a pH buffer and soil sweetener, not as a readily available source of Ca or Mg.
Rrog
Well-Known Member
That was such an excellent tip. I have Botanicare. I'm ordering GO. Tomorrow.
Da Almighty Jew
Well-Known Member
what about gypsum (calcium and sulfur) for additional calcium and sulfur? i would really like to find a water only mix to keep it simple and have best tasting bud.
xebeche
Well-Known Member
Dolomite should be fine for use as a source of calcium and magnesium...especially if it's aged in a supersoil-type mix. Dolomite is a calcium magnesium carbonate composite. Probably not so good used as a top-dressing, since afaik dolomite has limited water solubility.
Tap water usually has a considerable amount of calcium and magnesium in it as well. If you're worried about the effect of the chlorine and/or chloramine additives on your plants, chlorine can be removed either by letting the water sit out in the sun for a while, or by bubbling air through it for an hour or so...and chloramine can be removed by addition of vitamin C (15-20 mg per gallon should be plenty...or you can cut a piece of an orange and leave it in the water for a few hours and that should do it). Personally, I don't think it's necessary, since I've used tap water on my plants successfully after just removing the chlorine...I doubt that the levels of chloramine in average tapwater are really detrimental to plants.
fwiw, I've used Botanicare Cal-Mag + RO water for years now without any obvious problems.
Tap water usually has a considerable amount of calcium and magnesium in it as well. If you're worried about the effect of the chlorine and/or chloramine additives on your plants, chlorine can be removed either by letting the water sit out in the sun for a while, or by bubbling air through it for an hour or so...and chloramine can be removed by addition of vitamin C (15-20 mg per gallon should be plenty...or you can cut a piece of an orange and leave it in the water for a few hours and that should do it). Personally, I don't think it's necessary, since I've used tap water on my plants successfully after just removing the chlorine...I doubt that the levels of chloramine in average tapwater are really detrimental to plants.
fwiw, I've used Botanicare Cal-Mag + RO water for years now without any obvious problems.
Rrog
Well-Known Member
I am paranoid about the water here so I RO. Also, I'm looking to try Blumats and I'd like to keep the drip lines free of mineral deposit build up.
xebeche, it sure would be good to have some definitive data on the breakdown rate of Dolomite. Seems that if it's going to do it's primary job of raising pH, it needs to break down and therefore become accessible. If your point about the Dolomite not being particularly water soluble is accurate, is Dolomite reliant upon micro-life to break down?
This is all good stuff since I'm not so sure I need to add much Ca or Mg to RO. Might be yet another example of how less is (maybe not) more, but as good. I think manufacturers tent to err on the high side with their recommended dosages. Independent studies are more reliable.
xebeche, it sure would be good to have some definitive data on the breakdown rate of Dolomite. Seems that if it's going to do it's primary job of raising pH, it needs to break down and therefore become accessible. If your point about the Dolomite not being particularly water soluble is accurate, is Dolomite reliant upon micro-life to break down?
This is all good stuff since I'm not so sure I need to add much Ca or Mg to RO. Might be yet another example of how less is (maybe not) more, but as good. I think manufacturers tent to err on the high side with their recommended dosages. Independent studies are more reliable.
kushking42
Well-Known Member
there is potential for lots of bad stuff in municipal water not just chlorine but flouride, etc.. i have old irrigation lines that are really rusted. so i pretty much have to r.o. i think both gypsum and or oyster shell would be a good idea to include in your s.s. mix. i will be mixing up different batches and will share results with the community.
I can tell you from personal experience that super soil cooked for six weeks w/ 1 cup dolomite per cubic foot + R/O water = HORRIBLE cal/mag deficiency. The dolomite for sure does not provide adequate calcium and magnesium unless it is allowed to break down over a much longer period of time. R/O water is dead water and absolutely needs to be supplemented with something to provide calcium and magnesium.
Have you guys checked your tap water for ppms and pH? Most tap water should be fine as long as you bubble it for a day to get rid of chlorine. I too was paranoid about tap water until I tested it and started using it. It works great. Mine comes out of the tap @ 200-220 ppm and pH of 8. pH Down to 6.5-7.0 and the girls love it. Test your tap before going r/o. I started with r/o and now here I am using tap water with much greater success and not having to mix a bottled supplement every time I want to water. The whole point behind using a just-add-water mix like SS is because it's easy. Mixing bottled ferts is a pain in the balls. Don't do it if ya don't have to.
I'm just trying to save you guys the frustration of chasing a deficiency once it's started.
Have you guys checked your tap water for ppms and pH? Most tap water should be fine as long as you bubble it for a day to get rid of chlorine. I too was paranoid about tap water until I tested it and started using it. It works great. Mine comes out of the tap @ 200-220 ppm and pH of 8. pH Down to 6.5-7.0 and the girls love it. Test your tap before going r/o. I started with r/o and now here I am using tap water with much greater success and not having to mix a bottled supplement every time I want to water. The whole point behind using a just-add-water mix like SS is because it's easy. Mixing bottled ferts is a pain in the balls. Don't do it if ya don't have to.
I'm just trying to save you guys the frustration of chasing a deficiency once it's started.
Da Almighty Jew
Well-Known Member
i like that idea, but i already have the ro system and nutes, so i would like to put it to use. I started with ro because i was told a few years back that was the most accurate way to start growing.
(The closest thing i see to what im looking for is this)
Thn Cal-mag Citrate 8oz : Cal-Mag Citrate (Effervescent Powder) provides effervescent qualitities coupled with a high dissociation constant to increase mineral bioavailability. The magnesium and citric acid inhibit calcium oxalate crystallization
does anybody know if this product would work?
(The closest thing i see to what im looking for is this)
does anybody know if this product would work?