Pepper Plant needs Calcium. WHat do I use?

[CatflapSquirrlie]

Hello

My pepper plants last year had a calcium defiency and I don't want to the same mistake this year. However I don't see anything at the garden centers that says it's a feed with calcium.

How do I put calcium in to the soil or what should I use?

Thank you for your help

[salome2001]

my guess is bonemeal... lots of calcium in that

[Aberdeenplotter]

Calcium nitrate the only soluble form of calcium, is the ideal remedy. A teaspoonful in a two gallon watering can applied weekly.

[Two_Sheds]

Why do you think your plants needed additional calcium? What were the symptoms, what happened to them?

[Percy T]

I heard somewhere cant remember where and not sure if this works, but you can use a little drop of milk in your watering water.

[CatflapSquirrlie]

Thanks you all for the suggestions. It's really appreciated.

Where do I get calcium nitrate?

I did think about Bonemeal but the person I asked at the garden center said that it would only have traces of calcium in it and they didn't have anything else I could use.

I considered the idea of milk, but wouldn't that sour in the soil?

The symptom last year was that my pepers although they developed had black spots on them. When I read up about it it said it was due to a calcium defiency.


Have a good day everyone :-)

[quark1]

Would crushed egg shells added to or sprinkled on the compost help?

[Thelma Sanders]

I dig a little calcified seaweed into my greenhouse soil, I think it's quite slow acting though

[Aberdeenplotter]

Thanks you all for the suggestions. It's really appreciated.

Where do I get calcium nitrate?

Any good Garden Centre

[Two_Sheds]

my pepers ... had black spots on them. When I read up about it it said it was due to a calcium defiency.

Ah, what I suspected: blossom end rot. You don't need to add calcium, you need to keep on top of the watering.

From the RHS:

It is very rare for soils, growing bags or potting media to actually lack calcium. There is almost always plenty in the soil and indeed within the plant.

[shushkin!]

I've heard that one too

I heard somewhere cant remember where and not sure if this works, but you can use a little drop of milk in your watering water.

[ItsEssexRob]

Might be a little bit late here but your best bet may be buying the Chilli food 'Chilli focus'. You can get good deals for it on Ebay, and contains Calcium as well as other nutrients.

[leonmc0708]

Its down to not watering regular.

The plant will get all the calcium it needs from the soil, but the only way it can draw this up is through the water, when this is scarce, sparce or irregular it causes blosson end rot which is (from my experience) frankly heartbreaking to see. ITs easy to mistake this as a disease or deficiency.

Try drip water system, Big Drippa for example if your not there daily or cant guarantee to eb there to water every otehr day.

If it gets really hot then yer gonna need to water daily, but thats probably nto going to happen this "summer"