Sheesh- this gardening thing is hard work!
So my pepper plants are looking a little sad, and they look like images ive seen of plants that need calcium. What is the fastest way to get it in there?
Ive heard of the eggshell method, but it takes months for the eggs to breakdown and become effective.
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purplegardener
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- Joined: Wed May 24, 2017 10:08 am
Might be best to post a picture? Also, what have you added to your soil (fertilizer, compost, lime, etc)? Have you done a soil test? The amendments that add calcium to your soil (lime, gypsum, dolomite) should be added in a prescribed manner to balance the calcium and magnesium in your soil, or you could easily end up with some poor soil. Typically the only way to determine this is a soil test, unless you're particularly experienced and know what kind of soil to expect in your area.
However, if your plants ARE deficient in calcium there are sprays available that are labeled for blossom end rot in tomatoes that will deliver some emergency calcium to the plants via foliar application. Ideally, though, you get your cal/mag levels appropriate in your soil for long term health of all your plants.
However, if your plants ARE deficient in calcium there are sprays available that are labeled for blossom end rot in tomatoes that will deliver some emergency calcium to the plants via foliar application. Ideally, though, you get your cal/mag levels appropriate in your soil for long term health of all your plants.
You may not have an actual calcium deficiency. Hot weather and uneven watering can also cause blossom end rot. That is a physiological problem when the plant is growing faster than its ability to transport calcium to the growing leaves, so the calcium is taken from the fruit instead. Watering more evenly helps that.
Want to add calcium fast, buy a bottle of calcium pills at your drug store, grind them to a powder, mix into very warm water and let it cool. Put mix into a spray bottle and do a foliar spray. Or what I do is just take the powder and mix it into the top of the soil every so often during the growing season. I had a terrible time with blossom end rot with toms in my GH until I saw a video on calcium needs of tomatoes. Last year I used a bone meal fertilizer at the bottom of my pots and a fertilizer to top dress over the growing season, both have calcium, plus the ground pills. Had two tomatoes in the whole crop with blossom end rot last year. I swear that calcium made a difference for me.
People do lime or add calcium to their planting hole when they plant tomatoes and it works for some people. I have not done that, and I don't get BER. My soil tests very high in calcium so I know it is not deficient. If you do a soil test first it will tell you if you need more calcium or not.
I do make sure my plants are in large 18 gallon pots and they are watered daily, sometimes twice on hot summer days. I think variety may also be a factor. I hardly have BER on heat resistant varieties, but I have had it on others that were not bred specifically for heat resistance.
I do make sure my plants are in large 18 gallon pots and they are watered daily, sometimes twice on hot summer days. I think variety may also be a factor. I hardly have BER on heat resistant varieties, but I have had it on others that were not bred specifically for heat resistance.