Calcium is the secret to yields. Mixing it into the water is basically worthless as it is not mobil in the soil. In addition, you are creating a very alkaline crust that can make salts float, etc... not the way to go.

Calcium in the root system of a plant is translocatable.

This means that calcium being taken up by one root can move it to roots that do not have it. For this reason, I use the calcium tube technique. I stick a broom handle into the soil as deep as I can go (15" or so) and fill the hole with calcium carbonate along with a little worm castings on top of the hole. I make two or three holes at different distances from the plant, slowly circling around the plant, 1 1/2 inches, 3 inches and then at 6". It is amazing the root mass that develops around these calcium tubes. The roots will go as close as they want to the concentration of calcium that is optimum for them...

I would be careful about using a high magnesium product on the ground unless you have sandy soils. If you have a heavy clay type soil, magnesium will close the soil up and you will have excess water problems. Magnesium and potassium are very nasty salts.

Foliar magnesium is more effecient and is 100% translocatable throughout the plant using epsom salts at a 1% solution. Hit them foliarly with magnesium once a week with some sugar water. I use cane syrup, 4 tablespoons per gallon, it is much better than molasses as it is much higher sugar, it is in a simpler form and it not charged with so much potassium. You can drench with the same quantities in every watering. The storage organ of the plant is the root. Roots can pick up sugars directly. Sugars feed the soil and the roots. Sugar also kills nematodes.

When you pull up your plants you find it humorous the quantity of feeder roots smack dab in the middle of that calcium. With this technique you can use much less fertilizer as well as plants will have several times more roots, increasing their uptake efficiency by 1000 times or so.

Enjoy!
slownickel Reviewed by slownickel on . CalMag and Thrive in bloom... It's my understanding that N should still be fed, albeit in smaller quantities, during bloom but you need to knock it off in the last few weeks. Is this correct? Calmag is rated at 2-0-0 so phasing it out say halfway through bloom would be a good idea? While I'm here, I should also ask if a similar rule exists for hormones a la Superthrive? I hear people mention they use ST all the way until harvest, but I've also picked up that it can actually hinder full errr, fruitilization! :D Rating: 5