article from "Maximum Yield" magazine
Calcium and Magnesium: Beyond the Obvious
by Richard Gellert
2009-06-01
Introduction
Calcium and magnesium are common inputs in everyone’s garden.
They are the building blocks and catalysts that allow plants to
flourish. They are found in the soil and in plant food and in tap water,
with some well sources having extreme amounts. Most experienced
gardeners tend to supplement their feed regimen with extra calcium and
magnesium (cal-mag), especially those with hydroponic gardens.
Common knowledge has it is that cal-mag is pretty straight
forward, that there is not much variation between the different kinds on
the market or in your tap water. But is all cal-mag created equal?
Would some forms of these minerals perform better than others? What
forms are leading nutrient manufacturers using? How can you tell if you
have a deficiency? What leads to these deficiencies and most
importantly how can you avoid them? These are just some of the
questions this article will attempt to answer. I will help refine your
knowledge of these important components in your garden so they can help
you achieve the highest quality and maximum yields of your favorite
fruits and veggies.
Calcium and magnesium are the most abundant minerals in tap water.
Cal-Mag’s Key Role in the Garden
Calcium, an essential part of the plant’s cell wall structure,
improves the absorption of other nutrients by the roots and their
translocation within the plant. It activates a number of plant
growth-regulating enzyme systems; helps convert nitrate-nitrogen into
forms needed for protein formation; and contributes to improved disease
resistance.
Calcium is an intracellular messenger as well and can send a
signal from one cell to another telling other cells how to react or what
to do. It also provides for the transport and retention of many other
elements. Calcium, magnesium and potassium live in a delicate balance
within plants. Too much of one will inhibit the other two. Finally,
calcium is a co-factor in many enzymatic reactions. Its presence is
needed to turn an enzyme on or off and allow it to catalyze a reaction.
Magnesium is part of the chlorophyll in all plants. Magnesium is
the central core of the chlorophyll molecule in green plant tissue and
essential for photosynthesis. Thus, if magnesium is deficient, the
shortage of chlorophyll results in poor and stunted plant growth.
Magnesium also helps to activate specific enzyme systems. Enzymes
are complex substances that build, modify or break down compounds as
part of a plant’s normal metabolism.
Most growers incorporate higher levels of cal-mag (around 50 to
200ppm) during the first two weeks of bloom. This is when the plant
takes up a higher concentration of calcium and magnesium to help
facilitate the rapid division of cells, changing the plant from a
vegetative process to a reproductive process. Also, during main flower
set four to six weeks into the flowering process, additional cal-mag is
required.
Roy Gomez, owner of Humboldt Nutrients, had a very specific
viewpoint about supplementing extra calcium. “I believe that calcium
should be supplemented in a feeding regimen in the early vegetative and
early bloom stages. As young children, we are told to consume milk as a
calcium supplement for strengthening bone density and structure. Young
plants should also receive this calcium supplement to help their
stock, density and plant structure.”
The Different Forms
Calcium and magnesium are found in most plant nutrients. They are
also available combined into one bottle as a supplement. Some
companies go one step further and separate the two giving one the
ability to really dial in the perfect feed recipe. The ratio of calcium
to magnesium can vary and be very specific to a particular type of
plant.
Calcium and magnesium are also the most abundant minerals in tap
water. The majority of the PPM, or EC reading, you obtain from a
measuring device is cal-mag. The most typical form of these minerals in
your untreated water is calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.
Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, these forms are virtually
unusable by plants, especially fast growing plants. The molecules of
these compounds are far too large and immobile to be absorbed by the
roots and transported to where the plant needs them. Relying on the
cal-mag in tap water can lead to many problems which we will discuss
later in this article.
Nutrient manufacturers use different forms of cal-mag and base
their decision on what they feel delivers the most benefits to the type
of plants they have targeted with their plant food and supplements.
Below are a few examples of calcium and magnesium compounds used by
nutrient manufactures:
Beyond the various compounds of these two minerals there are
chelators which are used to make the cal-mag more readily available.
There are vast differences in what manufacturers use to chelate their
cal-mag. Most typical synthetic chelators are EDTA, DPTA and EDDHA and
are classified as poly-amino carboxylic acids. Naturals chelates are
also used and include humic and fulvic acid, organic amino acids or a
micro-organism based chelation process, which harnesses the power of
nature’s smallest creatures to “fix” plant food for easy uptake.
Calcium is always used as CA2+ within plants, but how it gets
into the plant is a whole other story. Each of the various forms of
calcium each has different absorption co-efficients. Each form of
calcium is absorbed into the cell at different rates and requires a
different method for the cell to take it in. Each method requires more
or less energy for the cell to exert to do so. Some highly chelated
forms of cal-mag can enter the plant’s phospholipid membrane through
osmosis. The quicker the cal-mag can be absorbed, the more efficiently
the plant can make use of these compounds, thus facilitating lightning
fast growth and cell division.
Calcium Deficiencies
Calcium deficiency symptoms appear initially as generally stunted
plant growth. Necrotic (dead) leaf margins on young leaves or necrosis
around the base of the leaves is very common. In its advanced stage it
can eventual lead to death of the terminal buds and root tips. Generally
the new growth of the plant is affected first. The mature leaves may
be affected if the problem persists. Cupping of mature leaves is a tell
tale sign of a calcium deficiency.
Classic symptoms of a calcium deficiency include blossom-end rot
of tomato (death of the end part of the fruits), tip burn of lettuce,
blackheart of celery and death of the growing regions in many plants.
All these symptoms show soft, dead necrotic tissue at rapidly growing
areas.
Generally, a calcium deficiency is related to poor translocation
of calcium to the tissue rather than a low external supply of calcium.
Calcium has a very low mobility in plants which makes this one of the
most common problems in a garden. Calcium may be available externally
but it is in the wrong form for the plant to absorb readily.
Magnesium Deficiencies
Deficiencies typically occur with the middle or lower leaves. The
most common symptoms are interveinal chlorosis or yellowing between
leaf veins, which stay green, giving a marbled appearance. Necrosis, or
death, can develop in the highly chlorotic tissue. The symptoms
generally start with mottled chlorotic areas developing in the
interveinal tissue and spreads to large dead spots. This begins with
older leaves and spreads to younger growth.
Magnesium deficiencies are usually confused with a virus, or
natural aging in the case of tomato plants. In its advanced form, a
magnesium deficiency may superficially resemble a potassium deficiency.
The tell tale sign of a magnesium deficiency is the interveinal
chlorosis produces a raised puckered surface, with the top of the
puckers progressively going from chlorotic to necrotic tissue. Other
symptoms of this deficiency are fruits and vegetables tend to be small
and woody while flowers never develop to their full potential.
Roy Gomez understands the important role of magnesium and states,
“As aging adults, it is not uncommon for people to become magnesium
deficient. There are multiple sources of magnesium supplements in the
health food market. I believe that magnesium is an important element to
supplement in an aging plants life. Certain plants consume large
amounts of magnesium during the early and late flowering stages. If
magnesium deficiencies occur in plants, it causes late-season yellowing
in leaf veins and older leaves.”
How Cal-Mag Deficiencies Occur
The most common cause of calcium and magnesium deficiencies is
lockout. When there is too much cal-mag already in the untreated source
water being used as the base to the nutrient formula it can cause the
good cal-mag in the plant food to become unavailable. Think about it
this way - the cal-mag in your tap water has a large molecular structure
and is very immobile in that form. These molecules try to go through
your roots and up into the plant where they can be used. The molecules
are too large to be absorbed efficiently and end up accumulating on the
outside of the roots. This causes a road block that can lock out the
good forms of cal-mag you are trying to feed them. Other key components
of the nutrient formula can also be locked out and the problems
escalate until your plants appear to be stunted and yellow and growth
crawls to a halt.
There are ways to mitigate this problem. Fulvic and humic acid,
as well as living beneficial biology, can help break down the relatively
immobile cal-mag in your tap water and allow it to become more
available to the plants. This process takes time and is not guaranteed
to free up all the cal-mag in an efficient manner. The whole idea behind
hydroponics is to minimize your time and maximize your harvests. There
is no time to wait around for the cal-mag to be made available. What
the plants need is cal-mag that they can readily absorb and use
immediately.
Another way to acquire deficiencies is by not adding enough
cal-mag to your nutrient formula when using purified water. Reverse
Osmosis gives you the purest water possible and so you have to add the
correct amount of cal-mag to ensure you have the proper feed solution.
The best way to start your nutrient formula is to begin with purified
water, add 50 to 250ppm cal-mag, and then add your additional macro- and
micronutrients. The amount of cal-mag you add depends on the variety
of plants, what stage in their life they are in, and the media you are
using.
Certain growing media, such as coco coir, requires additional
calcium due its cation exchange capacity properties. Growing in coco
requires additional calcium, especially in the first few weeks of the
plants life.
Best Practices to Avoid Problems
The most ideal way to avoid deficiencies is by starting with a
base of purified water. That way you are not guessing how much cal-mag
you have and you won’t be as susceptible to lock out problems. Reverse
osmosis technology removes 95 to 99 per cent of all contaminants and the
most efficient method to rid your tap water of the majority of cal-mag
and other PPMs.
After having the cleanest base available you want to select
cal-mag that is formulated specifically for horticulture. Going beyond
this, look for labels that list several different sources or compounds
of cal-mag and ensure that they have been chelated to make them that
much more available to your plants. If growing organically, it is
paramount that you select cal-mag supplements that have been chelated
naturally with amino acids or living biology. By using these highly
absorbable forms of cal-mag you are helping to ensure the healthiest and
quickest growing plants.
Some nutrient manufacturers address the excessive cal-mag in tap water by marketing hard water formulas.
“Although a grower can use a hard water formula for his or her
plants, it doesn’t mean they should,” said Brantley Pierce of Green
Coast Hydroponics. “In many relations, people are the same as plants -
what you put in is what you get out. We can feed ourselves fast food
everyday to become full, but it doesn’t mean that is the best choice for
living. Starting with R.O. water and building a quality nutrient
profile from scratch is like home cooking. It takes more preparation and
time but the results equal a higher quality of life.”
Finally, there are some brands of cal-mag that have been super
chelated with living biology and are readily available to your plants.
These types of cal-mag can actually be foliar sprayed on the leaves and
absorbed in a matter of hours. Results can be seen amazingly fast and
deficiency problems can be corrected in a matter of days.
In conclusion, it is clear that calcium and magnesium play
significant roles in everyone’s garden. Having the proper forms and
correct amounts will determine the final outcome of your harvest.
Starting with a base of purified water and supplementing the feed
formula with specific, very usable forms of cal-mag will ensure healthy
and happy harvests. Pure water is the platform for continued success in
the garden.
Calcium and Magnesium: Beyond the Obvious
by Richard Gellert
2009-06-01
Introduction
Calcium and magnesium are common inputs in everyone’s garden.
They are the building blocks and catalysts that allow plants to
flourish. They are found in the soil and in plant food and in tap water,
with some well sources having extreme amounts. Most experienced
gardeners tend to supplement their feed regimen with extra calcium and
magnesium (cal-mag), especially those with hydroponic gardens.
Common knowledge has it is that cal-mag is pretty straight
forward, that there is not much variation between the different kinds on
the market or in your tap water. But is all cal-mag created equal?
Would some forms of these minerals perform better than others? What
forms are leading nutrient manufacturers using? How can you tell if you
have a deficiency? What leads to these deficiencies and most
importantly how can you avoid them? These are just some of the
questions this article will attempt to answer. I will help refine your
knowledge of these important components in your garden so they can help
you achieve the highest quality and maximum yields of your favorite
fruits and veggies.
Calcium and magnesium are the most abundant minerals in tap water.
Cal-Mag’s Key Role in the Garden
Calcium, an essential part of the plant’s cell wall structure,
improves the absorption of other nutrients by the roots and their
translocation within the plant. It activates a number of plant
growth-regulating enzyme systems; helps convert nitrate-nitrogen into
forms needed for protein formation; and contributes to improved disease
resistance.
Calcium is an intracellular messenger as well and can send a
signal from one cell to another telling other cells how to react or what
to do. It also provides for the transport and retention of many other
elements. Calcium, magnesium and potassium live in a delicate balance
within plants. Too much of one will inhibit the other two. Finally,
calcium is a co-factor in many enzymatic reactions. Its presence is
needed to turn an enzyme on or off and allow it to catalyze a reaction.
Magnesium is part of the chlorophyll in all plants. Magnesium is
the central core of the chlorophyll molecule in green plant tissue and
essential for photosynthesis. Thus, if magnesium is deficient, the
shortage of chlorophyll results in poor and stunted plant growth.
Magnesium also helps to activate specific enzyme systems. Enzymes
are complex substances that build, modify or break down compounds as
part of a plant’s normal metabolism.
Most growers incorporate higher levels of cal-mag (around 50 to
200ppm) during the first two weeks of bloom. This is when the plant
takes up a higher concentration of calcium and magnesium to help
facilitate the rapid division of cells, changing the plant from a
vegetative process to a reproductive process. Also, during main flower
set four to six weeks into the flowering process, additional cal-mag is
required.
Roy Gomez, owner of Humboldt Nutrients, had a very specific
viewpoint about supplementing extra calcium. “I believe that calcium
should be supplemented in a feeding regimen in the early vegetative and
early bloom stages. As young children, we are told to consume milk as a
calcium supplement for strengthening bone density and structure. Young
plants should also receive this calcium supplement to help their
stock, density and plant structure.”
The Different Forms
Calcium and magnesium are found in most plant nutrients. They are
also available combined into one bottle as a supplement. Some
companies go one step further and separate the two giving one the
ability to really dial in the perfect feed recipe. The ratio of calcium
to magnesium can vary and be very specific to a particular type of
plant.
Calcium and magnesium are also the most abundant minerals in tap
water. The majority of the PPM, or EC reading, you obtain from a
measuring device is cal-mag. The most typical form of these minerals in
your untreated water is calcium carbonate and magnesium carbonate.
Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, these forms are virtually
unusable by plants, especially fast growing plants. The molecules of
these compounds are far too large and immobile to be absorbed by the
roots and transported to where the plant needs them. Relying on the
cal-mag in tap water can lead to many problems which we will discuss
later in this article.
Nutrient manufacturers use different forms of cal-mag and base
their decision on what they feel delivers the most benefits to the type
of plants they have targeted with their plant food and supplements.
Below are a few examples of calcium and magnesium compounds used by
nutrient manufactures:
- Calcium Nitrate
- Calcium Carbonate
- Calcium Chloride
- Calcium Gluconate
- Calcium Proteinate
- Calcium Acetate
- Magnesium Nitrate
- Magnesium Carbonate
Beyond the various compounds of these two minerals there are
chelators which are used to make the cal-mag more readily available.
There are vast differences in what manufacturers use to chelate their
cal-mag. Most typical synthetic chelators are EDTA, DPTA and EDDHA and
are classified as poly-amino carboxylic acids. Naturals chelates are
also used and include humic and fulvic acid, organic amino acids or a
micro-organism based chelation process, which harnesses the power of
nature’s smallest creatures to “fix” plant food for easy uptake.
Calcium is always used as CA2+ within plants, but how it gets
into the plant is a whole other story. Each of the various forms of
calcium each has different absorption co-efficients. Each form of
calcium is absorbed into the cell at different rates and requires a
different method for the cell to take it in. Each method requires more
or less energy for the cell to exert to do so. Some highly chelated
forms of cal-mag can enter the plant’s phospholipid membrane through
osmosis. The quicker the cal-mag can be absorbed, the more efficiently
the plant can make use of these compounds, thus facilitating lightning
fast growth and cell division.
Calcium Deficiencies
Calcium deficiency symptoms appear initially as generally stunted
plant growth. Necrotic (dead) leaf margins on young leaves or necrosis
around the base of the leaves is very common. In its advanced stage it
can eventual lead to death of the terminal buds and root tips. Generally
the new growth of the plant is affected first. The mature leaves may
be affected if the problem persists. Cupping of mature leaves is a tell
tale sign of a calcium deficiency.
Classic symptoms of a calcium deficiency include blossom-end rot
of tomato (death of the end part of the fruits), tip burn of lettuce,
blackheart of celery and death of the growing regions in many plants.
All these symptoms show soft, dead necrotic tissue at rapidly growing
areas.
Generally, a calcium deficiency is related to poor translocation
of calcium to the tissue rather than a low external supply of calcium.
Calcium has a very low mobility in plants which makes this one of the
most common problems in a garden. Calcium may be available externally
but it is in the wrong form for the plant to absorb readily.
Magnesium Deficiencies
Deficiencies typically occur with the middle or lower leaves. The
most common symptoms are interveinal chlorosis or yellowing between
leaf veins, which stay green, giving a marbled appearance. Necrosis, or
death, can develop in the highly chlorotic tissue. The symptoms
generally start with mottled chlorotic areas developing in the
interveinal tissue and spreads to large dead spots. This begins with
older leaves and spreads to younger growth.
Magnesium deficiencies are usually confused with a virus, or
natural aging in the case of tomato plants. In its advanced form, a
magnesium deficiency may superficially resemble a potassium deficiency.
The tell tale sign of a magnesium deficiency is the interveinal
chlorosis produces a raised puckered surface, with the top of the
puckers progressively going from chlorotic to necrotic tissue. Other
symptoms of this deficiency are fruits and vegetables tend to be small
and woody while flowers never develop to their full potential.
Roy Gomez understands the important role of magnesium and states,
“As aging adults, it is not uncommon for people to become magnesium
deficient. There are multiple sources of magnesium supplements in the
health food market. I believe that magnesium is an important element to
supplement in an aging plants life. Certain plants consume large
amounts of magnesium during the early and late flowering stages. If
magnesium deficiencies occur in plants, it causes late-season yellowing
in leaf veins and older leaves.”
How Cal-Mag Deficiencies Occur
The most common cause of calcium and magnesium deficiencies is
lockout. When there is too much cal-mag already in the untreated source
water being used as the base to the nutrient formula it can cause the
good cal-mag in the plant food to become unavailable. Think about it
this way - the cal-mag in your tap water has a large molecular structure
and is very immobile in that form. These molecules try to go through
your roots and up into the plant where they can be used. The molecules
are too large to be absorbed efficiently and end up accumulating on the
outside of the roots. This causes a road block that can lock out the
good forms of cal-mag you are trying to feed them. Other key components
of the nutrient formula can also be locked out and the problems
escalate until your plants appear to be stunted and yellow and growth
crawls to a halt.
There are ways to mitigate this problem. Fulvic and humic acid,
as well as living beneficial biology, can help break down the relatively
immobile cal-mag in your tap water and allow it to become more
available to the plants. This process takes time and is not guaranteed
to free up all the cal-mag in an efficient manner. The whole idea behind
hydroponics is to minimize your time and maximize your harvests. There
is no time to wait around for the cal-mag to be made available. What
the plants need is cal-mag that they can readily absorb and use
immediately.
Another way to acquire deficiencies is by not adding enough
cal-mag to your nutrient formula when using purified water. Reverse
Osmosis gives you the purest water possible and so you have to add the
correct amount of cal-mag to ensure you have the proper feed solution.
The best way to start your nutrient formula is to begin with purified
water, add 50 to 250ppm cal-mag, and then add your additional macro- and
micronutrients. The amount of cal-mag you add depends on the variety
of plants, what stage in their life they are in, and the media you are
using.
Certain growing media, such as coco coir, requires additional
calcium due its cation exchange capacity properties. Growing in coco
requires additional calcium, especially in the first few weeks of the
plants life.
Best Practices to Avoid Problems
The most ideal way to avoid deficiencies is by starting with a
base of purified water. That way you are not guessing how much cal-mag
you have and you won’t be as susceptible to lock out problems. Reverse
osmosis technology removes 95 to 99 per cent of all contaminants and the
most efficient method to rid your tap water of the majority of cal-mag
and other PPMs.
After having the cleanest base available you want to select
cal-mag that is formulated specifically for horticulture. Going beyond
this, look for labels that list several different sources or compounds
of cal-mag and ensure that they have been chelated to make them that
much more available to your plants. If growing organically, it is
paramount that you select cal-mag supplements that have been chelated
naturally with amino acids or living biology. By using these highly
absorbable forms of cal-mag you are helping to ensure the healthiest and
quickest growing plants.
Some nutrient manufacturers address the excessive cal-mag in tap water by marketing hard water formulas.
“Although a grower can use a hard water formula for his or her
plants, it doesn’t mean they should,” said Brantley Pierce of Green
Coast Hydroponics. “In many relations, people are the same as plants -
what you put in is what you get out. We can feed ourselves fast food
everyday to become full, but it doesn’t mean that is the best choice for
living. Starting with R.O. water and building a quality nutrient
profile from scratch is like home cooking. It takes more preparation and
time but the results equal a higher quality of life.”
Finally, there are some brands of cal-mag that have been super
chelated with living biology and are readily available to your plants.
These types of cal-mag can actually be foliar sprayed on the leaves and
absorbed in a matter of hours. Results can be seen amazingly fast and
deficiency problems can be corrected in a matter of days.
In conclusion, it is clear that calcium and magnesium play
significant roles in everyone’s garden. Having the proper forms and
correct amounts will determine the final outcome of your harvest.
Starting with a base of purified water and supplementing the feed
formula with specific, very usable forms of cal-mag will ensure healthy
and happy harvests. Pure water is the platform for continued success in
the garden.
