Adding calcium without changing pH

Lime is added to soil to raise the pH and lower acidity; this is also referred to as sweetening the soil.  So when you use lime you add calcium which is needed for root development but you also increase the pH of your soil which some plants don’t like.  If you wish to add calcium without affecting the pH, gypsum lime (which is used in gyprock) can be a good alternative.  Most plants prefer a slightly acidic soil and it would take lots and lots of gypsum lime to change the pH from slightly acidic to neutral.

As gypsum lime, which is calcium sulphate, breaks down in the soil it produces hydrogen sulfide which under certain conditions in larger volumes can create rotten egg odors.  This is why they don’t also gypsum into the municipal landfills and also this is the reason why mushroom manure compose smells.  This is the calcium source in mushroom manure.

Water and Plant Nutrition

In the spring, everything grows green and healthy because there is lots of water.  The reason for this is that water carries the nutrients into the plants from the soil.

In the summer plants tend to start yellowing and disease starts to show up.  It is not that there are no nutrients in the soil but that there is not enough water to transfer the nutrients into the plant.

With this in mind, water is very important in the hot summer.

Calcium . . . not just for teeth and bones

Calcium strengthens cell walls and is an essential element required for the growth of plant roots and the tips (new growth) of plants.  Calcium plays an essential role in the transport of nutrient across the cell walls and plant cell membranes.  It is involved in the production and control of several plant enzymes and in some processes of cellular respiration (energy release).

Calcium is required for normal nitrogen use and the production of proteins within the plant.  Calcium improves fruit quality and improves a plant’s resistance to disease.  Calcium is not readily transported from one part of the plant to another, so it is very important that a growing crop have a readily available supply of Calcium throughout the growing year.

Calcium can be found in egg shells, sea shells, bones and lime.

The foundation of containers and baskets

Spring is just around the corner and soon people want to put together their container gardens and baskets.  The foremost concern with a container or basket is the soil that is used. 

The two main problems with container soils are that it can be too heavy of a soil, which tends to break the hanger, or it just constantly dries out.  The best soil is a light, porous soil that has extremely high water retention and is high in organic matter and nutrients.

Using the proper soil will help generate beautiful and healthy baskets and containers.

Why Use Manure

Manures provide added trace elements, enzymes, vitamins and other plant growth factors.  They improve soil structure and build soil humus.  It greatly increases the population of beneficial and disease suppressing micro-organisms. Manures release the nutrients slowly and provide plant food over a period of months and years. 

Manures provide a whole array of nutrients essential for plant and human nutrition such as vanadium, iodine, selenium, chromium and a host of vitamins and other phytochemicals. Chemical fertilizers have no beneficial micro-organisms as they destroy them and does not contain the minerals and vitamins which are essential elements. 

These nutrients are only available in manure. They create more robust and healthier flowers and far more nutritious and better tasting vegetables.

The Miracle of Manure

Beyond the copious amount of nutrients in manure is one of the most underrated and misunderstood ingredient--the final link between the dead and the living world.  Without this ingredient, life on the plant would not exist.  This miracle is called bacteria. 

These micro-organisms break down all living matter and even rock to its basic elements which can then be consumed by plants. Rhizobium has an extremely rare ability to take nitrogen from the air and convert it to the only form usable by the plant.  Rhizobium survives through a symbiotic relationship with plants such as legumes.  The legumes supply them with sugars and organic acids and they in turn repay the favour with nitrogenous compounds.

Manure introduces these bacterium and helps to maintain the culture. So when you smell your garden dirt that is the actinomyces. 

coming soon...