Calcium is needed for strong, healthy bones. Most plants can’t make the mineral, so we need to supplement it in order to maintain proper levels of calcium in our soil and garden.
Adding calcium to your soil is a great way to help plants grow. There are many ways to add calcium, but the easiest ways are by adding lime or bone meal. Read more in detail here: how to add calcium to soil after planting.
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Whether you’re nurturing a little garden in your window boxes or a large backyard farm, getting your plants to flourish is frequently a fine alchemical balancing. For your plants to grow, they need just the proper amount of sunshine, water, and nutrients.
Soil composition is one of the most overlooked factors of producing healthy plants. Plants require the appropriate mix of acidity and nutrients in the soil to develop, but determining soil composition with the naked eye may be challenging.
Most gardeners suffer with calcium-deficient soil, which causes plant development to be tiny and stunted. However, just because your soil is inherently calcium-deficient does not imply your plants are doomed; there are a variety of techniques to supplement calcium in the soil.
It might be difficult to decide which technique to use to add calcium to the soil since there are so many options! Here’s a rundown of the several methods for adding calcium to your soil and how to figure out which one is best for you.
What Is the Purpose of Calcium in Plants?
One of the most essential macronutrients present naturally in soil is calcium. It is necessary for the development and stability of the plant.
Many of the chemical reactions that enable plants to thrive rely on calcium absorption. Calcium, for example, is required for the formation of new cell walls as well as the growth of new shoots and leaves.
Calcium is also necessary for the development of soil structures that promote plant growth and nutrient uptake. The mineral improves soil water absorption while also displacing sodium, which is damaging to plant roots.
Calcium must be present in the soil at all phases of a plant’s life cycle since it is so crucial for plant development. This means you’ll need to test your soil on a regular basis and pick calcium-adding techniques that are both long-term and short-term.
Why is it necessary to include calcium in your diet?
Why do so many gardeners need to add calcium if it’s a naturally occurring mineral? Frequently, a garden or plant bed lacks sufficient calcium for optimum plant growth.
Calcium deficiency in soil may occur for a variety of causes. This often occurs due to natural causes, such as when a region is experiencing a drought. Because winter leaches the nutrients out of the soil, it has less calcium early in the season.
As soil grows increasingly acidic, it may become calcium deficient over time. When soil absorbs too much decomposing organic matter or gardeners harvest too many crops, it turns acidic due to overuse.
Gardeners occasionally add additional calcium to the soil even if it already has plenty because certain plants need more calcium than others. In order to produce their fruits, vegetables, fruits, and legumes, in particular, need extra calcium.
Investigating the Soil
You can often tell if your soil is calcium-deficient without Investigating the Soil at all, just by looking at your plants. If your plant is growing slowly, its younger leaves look shriveled, and its veins are turning brown, it could have a calcium deficiency.
You may always test your soil to see whether or not you need to add calcium. Although at-home calcium testing are costly, at-home soil pH tests are reasonably inexpensive.
Although at-home soil pH testing do not directly test for calcium levels, they may tell you how acidic your soil is, which can give you a decent sense of calcium levels. Calcium levels are likely to be high if your soil is alkaline, which means it has a pH higher than seven.
You may always submit your soil to a competent agricultural laboratory to have it analyzed for calcium levels.
Calcium Supplementation for Soil
There are various methods to supplement calcium levels in your plant beds if you’ve determined that the issue impacting your plants is a calcium deficit. The technique you employ will be determined by the quantity of soil you need to treat, the length of time you have, and if you want to utilize natural or synthetic supplements.
Eggshells No. 1
You can modify the makeup of your soil using cupboard items like eggshells, believe it or not. Large fields may need a lot of eggshells, thus this strategy works best if you have a little garden patch or plant row.
You must first prepare eggshells before spreading them among your plants. They must first be let to dry for many days in a storage container.
After the shells have dried, use a blender to ground them into a fine powder. Once you have your eggshell powder, incorporate it into your soil using a tiller, your hands, or a sprayable combination created by mixing the powder with water.
The eggshell approach is best used before planting or when you want to build a long-lasting, stable calcium balance in your soil. The protein in eggshells may take months to completely break down and be absorbed by plants, so if your garden need an immediate calcium boost, this may not be the technique for you.
Epsom Salts (n.d.)
Your medical cupboard might hold the answer to rescuing your landscape. Epsom salts, commonly known as magnesium sulfate, aren’t simply for bathing; they may also help your soil’s calcium levels.
Epsom salts offer additional advantages than boosting the calcium levels in your soil. They help plants develop better, reduce plant rot, and promote the absorption of important nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus.
You must first make a combination using Epsom salts before applying it to your plant beds. Spray your plants with a gallon of water containing around a spoonful of salts.
You should add Epsom salts to your plants every few weeks if you’re using them to aid them.
Calcium Spray No. 3
When plants are looking a bit drooping, use calcium spray to give them a mineral boost. Professional farmers purchase spray for their plants, but you can build a quick-acting treatment at home using common household items.
Chamomile is one possibility. Make chamomile tea or steep chamomile blooms in boiling water, then strain into a spray bottle when cool.
Seaweed also contains a lot of calcium, which is good for your plants. Add seaweed to a bucket with several gallons of water, then soak for a few weeks before using in your soil or in a spray bottle.
While these remedies are natural and manufactured using readily available substances, they are not as long-lasting as store-bought soil additions. These sprays will most likely need to be reapplied once a week.
4 – Lime
You may use soil additions or calcium fertilizers if you have a vast area where you cultivate plants or if your soil is in desperate need of calcium. Lime and gypsum are the most frequent types.
The sort of fertilizer you use will also be determined by the chemical makeup of your soil. Regular lime may assist to raise the pH of your soil, which is beneficial if you have acidic soil. Dolomite lime, also known as calcium carbonate, raises the calcium, magnesium, and pH levels of your soil.
You may use gypsum or calcium sulfate if your pH levels are normal. Gypsum also has the advantage of operating fast, making it a suitable option if you need to enhance the calcium levels in your soil quickly.
Bags of gypsum or lime may generally be found at your local hardware or garden supply shop. You may use your hands to apply it (just be sure to wear gloves) or a dirt spreader if you have a wider area to cover.
5 – Ashes of Wood
Wood ashes are another sort of soil addition that might help your soil’s calcium levels. Pick for hardwood ashes instead of softwood ashes, since softwood ashes might harm your plants.
Hardwood ashes, like lime, boost the pH of your soil, making it less acidic. If your soil is just mildly acidic, use this alternative since it is half as powerful as lime.
Bone meal and colloidal phosphate are two other frequent soil additions. The majority of these may be found at your local garden supply shop.
Increasing the Calcium Content of Your Soil
Growing a healthy garden need a good calcium level. This mineral is required for plants to absorb nutrients and flourish, especially if they are producing fruits or vegetables.
Eggshells, Epsom salts, and even chamomile may be used to prepare calcium solutions at home. If your soil is severely lacking in calcium and has other nutritional deficiencies, you may use store-bought supplements like lime, gypsum, or wood ashes.
Before you apply any solution to your soil, be sure it will benefit your soil rather than causing further difficulties. Do some study on how much calcium your plants need, or get your soil professionally tested to see if there are any other shortages.
The “how to add calcium to soil for tomatoes” is a blog post that gives 5 simple ways to add calcium to your soil.
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