What is Cal/Mag 101!

Kingrow1

Kingrow1

Well-Known Member
View attachment 1720444

Look at the chart above, you will see calcium deficiency on the left and magnesium deficiency on the right. As simple as it can get really!

Now to break it down lets look at calcium and magnesium in more detail and then what sources of calcium and magnesium are available.
 
Mind if a noob pops in on this? I would like to share what I have read and am currently attempting to correct.
 
I had on a OG kush lower old fan leaves looking like your cal. def. pics. But can this be just from lack of light because they are so old or does it matter?. I could dig up a pic if needed.
 
Calcium

Calcium uptake by the plant is passive and does not require energy input. Calcium mobility in the plant takes places mainly in the xylem, together with water. Therefore calcium uptake is directly related to the plant transpiration rate.

Conditions of high humidity, cold and a low transpiration rates may result in calcium deficiency. Salinity buildup might also cause calcium deficiency because it decreases the water uptake by the plant.

Often your calcium deficiency may be caused by too high humidity or too low temps, worth adjusting these to optimun growing conditions before adding extra calcium.

Calcium forms insoluble compounds with other elements in soil, such as phosphorous. Calcium that is in the form of an insoluble compound is not available to plants. Ever wondered why your plant looks calcium deficient and dropped a lot of fan leaves at the end of flowering when using fertilizers with high phosphorous?

Calcium is a positivley charged ion and hence when the plant spits out positivly charged ions from the roots in exchange for uptaking positively charged ions from the soil it needs to be balanced against the levels of magnesium available to the plant. Whatever ratios of calcium to magnesium available in the soil will result in the same ratio of uptake from the plant.

Calcium competes with other positively charged ions, such as sodium (Na+), potassium (K+), and magnesium (Mg+2). Applying too much of these positively charged ions might decrease calcium uptake by plants.

Put basically you need a calcium magnesium ratio of about 3 parts calcium to every one part magnesium in the soil which is what a marijuan plant generally prefers. This can sometimes rise as high as 5:1 calcium to magnesium.

Calcium deficiency is usually caused due to low calcium availability or due to water stress which results in low transpiration rates. The symptoms of calcium deficiency include curling of young leaves or shoots. Leaf curling or early calcium deficiency in seedlings or young plants can easily show when the leaf starts to curl at the edges inwards from the base of the leaf near the stem up to the leaf tip. I believe calcium promotes proper cell elongation which is a factor of the leaf rolling. Leaf cupping may deform, wrinkle or curl leaves as they grow.

Schorching and spotting of yellowing leaves as in the above chart always accompanied by purple leaf stems and leaf veins are again a dead give away of calcium deficiency.

Calcium is an alkaline ion and hence found in soils with higher ph, it will work against the acidic ions hence buffering the soil and helping to prevent soil acidity.



 
Good thread and great info. It's good to understand WHY not just what the plant needs. So let's get the ball rolling for ways to add calcium and Mag to the soil. I know of ground up egg shells (better if composted) contains calcium.. 1tbs of epson salt/gallon boosts magnesium, 1:4 dilution of dolomite lime also works anyone know of others??
 
Magnesium

Magnesium is essential for chloryphy and hence why a deficiency shows as yellowing of the leaf between the leaf veins.

Magnesium is mobile so hence deficiency affects older leaves first, leaf stems and veins remain green whilst leaf turns yellow.

If you read the calcium section you would notice its importance when balanced against calcium.

What else can i say about magnesium that i havent said in the calcium section.
 
Calcium and magnesium in your water supply

Water is a good solvent and picks up impurities easily. Pure water is tasteless, colorless, odorless and is often called the universal solvent. When water is combined with carbon dioxide to form very weak carbonic acid, an even better solvent results. As water moves through soil and rock, it dissolves very small amounts of minerals and holds them in solution. Calcium and magnesium dissolved in water are the two most common minerals that make water "hard." The degree of hardness becomes greater as the calcium and magnesium content increases.

Calcium and magnesium are the main properties of water, soft water has very little and hard water has a lot. Look at the back of a bottle of mineral water and it will list the main ingredients as calcium and magnesium. These are in their soluable dissolved forms, generally calcium and magnesium carbonate, and readily available to plants for uptake.

Get your water right and your plant will never show magnesium and calcium deficiency.

If you use r/o water or distilled water it will contain little of nothing so you will need calcium and magnesium supplements. You will be required to add 100 to 150 parts per million of your supplement, if it is a pure calcium and magnesium supplement in the ratio 3:1 to 5:1 calcium magnesium add enough till the water reads 100ppm approximatly on your digital ec/ppm reader. If it contains other elements such as iron, boron and manganes etc etc then ppm your water to 150ppm to allow for the other nutrients and enough calcium and magnesium.

As the plant grows so may its requirements!
 
Epsom Salts

A word of warning with using epsom salts, although it seems to cure a magnesium deficiency as it is highly soluable in water up to a degree it will not cure a calcium deficiency and may in turn cause calcium deficiency as the ratio of magnesium to calcium increases past the 3:1 ratio of calcium to magnesium needed by marijuana plants.

It is said that epsom salts only works for three out of four growers, this is because three growers had only a magnesium deficiency as their plants already have good access to the calcium they need and the last grower actually had a calcium deficiency combined with a magnesium deficiency and simply adding epsom salts without calcium would only serve to cause a magnesium toxicity and greater calcium deficiency.

Be warned epsom salts is not a cure for calcium deficiency and may actually make things worse!
 
To me it dosent matter what sources of calcium and magnesium are available in the soil! Normally these are in insoluable forms and require time to break down before becoming available to the plant. The main source of soluable calcium and magnesium is always from water or soluable supplements added to your water. Lime and egg shells require time to break down and often unsuitable for a short grow time. Get your water right and you will solve most cal/mag problems. Peace
 
I dont use supplements neither do i want to, some ferts obviously contain enough for soft water areas and some dont, trial and error i suppose. Hesi do cal/mag supplements that contain other trace elements like boron and iron etc etc, try them first, cal/mag plus is available in the USA and used by lots of growers. There is a lot out there so do some research and find whats right for you.
 
For sure dude, i been hard at it with the cal/mag and water at the moment hence my many cal/mag and water posts. Been good fun. Do you know where doc111 hangs out now, which site or user name? I still got some technical questions for him and need to track him down on the internet somehow? Peace
 
Kingrow1 said:
For sure dude, i been hard at it with the cal/mag and water at the moment hence my many cal/mag and water posts. Been good fun. Do you know where doc111 hangs out now, which site or user name? I still got some technical questions for him and need to track him down on the internet somehow? Peace
Click to expand...

nope i cant help u there he doesnt want to talk to me and no ideal where he went to
 
Damn that guy, he was definatly the most scientific mind when it comes to water. Oh well i give up on him and my understanding of water will have to take a break for a while i suppose.

Oh well take it easy fab, good to see you back. Peace
 
Kingrow1 said:
Damn that guy, he was definatly the most scientific mind when it comes to water. Oh well i give up on him and my understanding of water will have to take a break for a while i suppose.

Oh well take it easy fab, good to see you back. Peace
Click to expand...

you too bro
why dont u do some research then u can help others since doc left
 
I can only get so far then water gets a bit too scientific, i understand most of it but still i need doc111 to peice together a few things for me, damn i never knew water was so technical. I researched and researched but you can only go so far, only doc111 has the knowledge i need.

Suppose life is like that, maybe he will come back one day and all will be revealed. Peace
 
Kingrow1 said:
I can only get so far then water gets a bit too scientific, i understand most of it but still i need doc111 to peice together a few things for me, damn i never knew water was so technical. I researched and researched but you can only go so far, only doc111 has the knowledge i need.

Suppose life is like that, maybe he will come back one day and all will be revealed. Peace
Click to expand...

lets hope so
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Nugnewbie
Nitrogen/magnesium/calcium deficiency and what im planning to do
2 3 4
Replies
62
Views
3K
Week4@inCharge
Week4@inCharge
bluntly hell
Running Masterblend in coco. Is there enough cal mag?
Replies
12
Views
616
Nizza
Nizza
M
Need some help with identifying plant issue/leaves...
Replies
4
Views
533
pegboy
pegboy
bignugs68
Deficiencies, First mag started, now calcium?
Replies
11
Views
967
bignugs68
bignugs68
N
Shogun coco - magnesium issues.
Replies
8
Views
801
coreywebster
coreywebster
Back
Top