Ugrow Organic: Calcium Buffers

Ugrow are UK distributors for Metrop products. Information on this page is copyright Metrop 2004.

Calcium

Next to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium is calcium the 4th most important fertilizer for a plant. Adding calcium to the medium brings more food to the plants by pushing away the ions. Furthermore the calcium advances the analysis of organic substances, through which more nutrient elements will be available. The harvest yield will often appear to rise after adding calcium however the medium only appears to become more fertile.

But in reality, the medium has become depleted because the plant has a greater capacity for nutrient intake. The solution to this depletion is simple; supply more nutrients to meet the increased capacity of the plant. This will not only solve the depletion problem, it will also encourage our stock to produce higher yields at harvest.

Calcium is essential in a plant. It binds/neutralises acid which would, if unchecked, poison the plant. For example, oxalic acid and calcium sit together with protein in a certain configuration in the cell wall. If the plants do not contain enough calcium they will form long weak stems, the leaves will also be weak and the roots will not form optimal growth.

For the build up of calcium and protein in the plant cells boron is needed. It acts like a reinforcement layer to build these elements within the cell walls. Only the PH of the medium needs to be lower then 6.0 in order to absorb the required boron.

Because calcium protein with the help of borium (it becomes vitamin B12) strengthens the plant cells, it will result in a stronger plant with less chance of rotting and mould forming and a more profitable end result.

Buffers

Mistakes can be made with fertilizing, the most common mistake is disturbing the balance, by 'one sided' adding of too much of certain ions (salts). The colloids (buffer) partially repair this mistake, by fastening the ions. They will disappear out of the fluid from the soil, which prevents the surplus of salt.

This surplus would have an adverse influence on the cell fluid from the root hairs.

Cheaper fertilizers contain a lot of salts, many of which are only partly plant food. These salts, sometimes called 'ballast material' can sensitise the plant to burn sooner because they build up in the medium. The medium will, as a result, is not economically recyclable for the next grow and needs to be replaced. Cheaper fertilizers will usually cost you more with; smaller harvests, higher labour/maintenance and of course recurring costs in having to replace the medium for each grow cycle.