Several "CalMag" products compared

[Mr.greenbee]

I also like bloom city cal mag they make a good product same goes with there pH up and down takes about half as much as other products to achieve the same pH

[DirtMcGirrt]

@Nitt

and also amino acids (humic and fulvic, both I think)

I will def have to look this up. I add Mr. Fulvic dashes to my nutes.

@lefthandseeds

If you use calcium sulfate (gypsum) or calcium carbonate (lime) you can pre-mix them with your medium

DTE sells a solution grade Calcium Carbonate as Cal 96. This is my wonder about if it can be used in DTW salt nutes or if it’s a soil thing to use because it needs to be chelated(maybe?). I thought microbes would do it but I should apparently scout out what else works. That might be why GH uses cal carb in the CalMag. Whatever fulvic/humic/other things we haven’t looked up that chelate it might be why it’s not sulphate or nitrate.

[lefthandseeds]

I don’t know about calcium carbonate specifically, but at least for calcium carbonate, it seems like it is possible, but it may take a while to dissolve. I’ll test my calcium sulfate and see how long it really takes.

Another thing to consider is that calcium carbonate will raise your pH, which is annoying.

[Upstate]

Why don’t you Spray plants nutes once in flower? Because of hitting the flowers, or is there another reason?

[DirtMcGirrt]

Yea that was actually kind of annoying because I don’t think it raises it right away. I’m not sure it’s doable hand watering DTW and not getting ph fluctuations. I stopped using it for now because it’s that or my pH pen is shot.

[DirtMcGirrt]

That’s the big reason. Flushing may be unnecessary, but spraying calmag or nutes on the buds you’re def smoking that stuff.

[Nitt]

@DirtMcGirrt

I stopped using it for now because it’s that or my pH pen is shot.

If/when you need a new pen/meter, check out the “Apera” brand. Pretty good stuff. Daniel Fernandez (science in hydroponics) recommends/uses them.

[Nitt]

Using calcium sulfate in hydroponics – Science in Hydroponics

@lefthandseeds and others, check out that blog post link. Scroll down to the graph.

1. Are the top two calcium sulfate forms supposed to be different, because they look the same to me (dotted line, and the one right underneath).
2. Am I reading this graph wrong, because it looks like the solubility is decreasing as the temperature increases. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around. I might be misunderstanding the Y-axis?
3. Again, maybe I’m misunderstanding, but the form of calcium sulfate at the bottom of the graph, CaSO4*2H2O, looks like it’s the least desirable (the worst form) of the ones listed there, right? So I shouldn’t get this product: Alphachem Calcium Sulfate? Or, am I getting the graph/results backwards? Haha.

Thanks.

EDIT:
“Calcium Sulfate *Hemihydrate” I think it’s called (the two at the top of the graph).
-Calcium Sulfate Hemihydrate Pure CaSO4x0.5H2O £3.49 | Aqua Plants Care

[DirtMcGirrt]

Already runnin’ one brudda. Got the econo one that was like $45. Kinda want the grostar now with the replaceable probes.

Been a bit over a year now on it and it’s gotten pretty dirty a couple times and I’ve cleaned it. My humidifier distilled water never read this crazy from bucket to bucket till now. So I dunno. Next is not using that and going back to filtered tap.

[PatioMat]

Currently, running osmocote with promix all-purpose in 1/2 and 1 gals and supplementing with GH calimagic. The promix has some lime added, but I am now thinking I should add in some gypsum before my next run…

[Nitt]

@lefthandseeds

Calcium chloride is fully soluble ~34% calcium. 0.5g/gal provides 43.5ppm of Ca and 78ppm Cl. But even half of that should be plenty.

I think I meant to ask about the CaSO4, but I think it’s in the blog post anyway. Thanks.

@lefthandseeds

Last thing that usually doesn’t get discussed is that calcium deficiency can happen easily with inconsistent moisture levels. If your coco goes completely dry, I’ve noticed that I almost always get a deficiency afterwards. Stay on top of your watering, especially early flower when they start chugging a lot of water and it might solve a lot of problems.

That’s one reason why hempy buckets work well with coco. You have a little reservoir to help buffer your moisture.

Good advice. I’ve definitely dealt with issues when going too dry in rockwool.
(Edit: spelling/grammar)

[Nitt]

It’s calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate (with other stuff). It says it’s 8-0-0 (!). Just FYI.
https://www.blueplanetnutrients.com/CalMag-Pro-Formula/53-calmag-pro-formula
I have pounds upon pounds of each of those two salts.

[lefthandseeds]

@Nitt

Again, maybe I’m misunderstanding, but the form of calcium sulfate at the bottom of the graph, CaSO4*2H2O, looks like it’s the least desirable (the worst form)

I’m not really sure about the other forms. Probably unless you keep the other forms well desiccated, they’ll end up as dihydrate anyway since that seems like the most stable form in the presence of water vapor.

[Nitt]

I ordered a small bag of Alphachem CaSO4*2H2O to try out.

[Nitt]

@Nitt

Am I reading this graph wrong, because it looks like the solubility is decreasing as the temperature increases. I thought it was supposed to be the other way around. I might be misunderstanding the Y-axis?

I was wrong, in that I was assuming that higher temp. water would be better at dissolving the CaSO4. But after watching the Mr. Growit podcast where Daniel was a guest I heard him say the opposite. There’s a timestamp in that video, if anyone is curious.

[Nitt]

I duno if this alphachem is very good. Quite a bit of “stuff” not dissolving, and visible impurities (of a different color, black) everytime I mix it up.

[crownpoodle]

I use Diamond K Gypsum. Be careful not to leave the bag open. It really ubsorbs water fast. If I have a lot of watering I put a pump in my 25 gal mix barrel. Keeps it suspended. Been using it over a year and plants love it.

[Nitt]

I live in canada, where ya can’t get anything cool. Can’t find diamond k.
I do have a powerful pump in res while mixing, and it turns on when irrigation pump turns on now. But the stuff just settles in the least agitated areas of the res.

[Foetidal]

Careful with the calmag out there boys

Heartbreaking pic shows boy, 7, sitting in dust pile that poisoned him to death

[NoCal]

Good thread, answered a lot of my questions and left me with several more .
@Nitt
Did you find a product that dissolves better? I saw down-to-earth recommended a few times as a good option. Curious what you ended up using.

I can’t remember if you’re using jacks nutrients… but…

I’m looking for a way to taper of N during the end of flower (using jacks 321). Is it as simple as tapering off calcium nitrate and replacing it with an appropriate amount of CaSO4 (using hydrobuddy as a guide)?