Calcium in Soil contains several secondary macronutrients, among them calcium. While not as necessary as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, calcium is nonetheless necessary for plant growth and helps plants become less vulnerable to pests and diseases.
However, there’s a limit to how much calcium is beneficial. The majority of natural soils and garden soil blends include calcium, but what does it do? We explore the function of calcium in plant growth in more detail.
Calcium Requirements
The requirements of different plant families and species for calcium vary. Monocot plants (grasses) with low calcium requirements include alliums, sorghum, and maize.
The Brassica family of garden vegetables, which includes collard greens, kale, broccoli, and cabbage, needs additional calcium. Calcium is incredibly important to trees. This is due to calcium’s role in the development of woody trunks.
Spotting a Calcium Deficiency
Knowing the effects of calcium on different plants is crucial when it comes to nutrient deficits. Although they affect distinct areas of the plant, certain nutrients exhibit similar deficiencies. For instance, only old leaves may exhibit a deficiency, not fresh ones. To diagnose a deficit, these minor details matter.
It is also possible for growing points to exhibit deficiencies. New leaves can seem matted together. A calcium deficiency in the soil can cause stunted root growth. It is simpler to identify the shortage by observing the fruit and growth points rather than by looking at the roots.
Calcium’s Role in the Soil
Soil needs calcium to have the proper structure. Especially for a process called flocculation, it is essential. Particles of clay are drawn together during the flocculation process, which facilitates their separation. The simplest at-home soil test involves shaking up dirt in water to illustrate this.
The best cation for binding these clay particles together is calcium, as opposed to other cations with a +2 charge, such as magnesium. While their effects on flocculation and plant function are different, magnesium and calcium often cooperate in different ways.
How Calcium Cycles
The soil can absorb calcium in several ways. Degradation of minerals such as dolomite, calcite, and limestone is one method. Calcium is released into the soil by these and other parent soil components. One essential base cation for cation exchange is calcium. The soil’s cation exchange capacity is the maximum number of cations it can contain.
By air deposition, calcium enters the soil naturally through the third major route. There are two ways that calcium can escape the soil. The first method is leaching, in which the calcium that isn’t bonded to clay particles is removed by water. The second way is through plants, which absorb calcium from the surrounding soil.
Why Your Soil is Not Calcium Deficient
If you see blossom end rot, you might assume that there is no calcium in your soil. This isn’t the case in most situations. Calcium levels in most soils are sufficient to grow a garden. Your blossom end rot is most likely the result of irregular or insufficient root zone irrigation.
For example, very acidic soils are one of the few places where calcium might not be a part of the soil structure. Aluminium (and iron and manganese) poisoning happens when your soil’s pH drops to 4.5 or lower. Nutrient availability is generally limited in sandy and acidic soils. In any case, there is little chance of attempts to expand.
Calcareous Soil
While unusual, excessive calcium levels can occur in some soils. High-mineral-content soils are referred to as “calcareous soils.” These soils don’t significantly hinder plant growth because their pH is higher than 8.0. Surprisingly, calcium is not the source of increased pH. The higher pH of the soil is caused by the carbonate in lime, not calcium, as is frequently thought.
Treating a Calcium Deficiency
A well-designed irrigation system will cure most of the garden’s calcium deficiencies. If, for whatever reason, there is a calcium deficiency, there are numerous options to help. Nevertheless, foliar treatments do not prevent tomato blossom end rot. Because the fruit, not the leaves, is what is lacking, this is the result.
Soil pH
The two primary additions used to raise the pH of soil are dolomite and calcitic lime. When there is a true calcium deficiency, the soil is already quite acidic. Depending on the circumstances, calcitic lime is typically the best calcium fertilizer available. Fertilizer lime will increase the pH of the soil.
To enhance the calcium ratio in acidic soil, periodically add lime that is based on calcium. There are several types of garden lime available, such as burnt or hydrated lime, both of which enrich soil with calcium.
Eggshells and Oyster Shells
They are both often advertised as easy-to-apply plant fertilizers, much like bone meal or wood ash. Eggshells and oyster shells do contain calcium, but only after they have decomposed and become valuable to plants.
Rather than going via a molecule, plants absorb calcium in its cation state. This suggests that calcium has to undergo a process of self-isolation before it can be absorbed by plant tissues, such as roots.
The addition of more organic components causes the soil to absorb calcium more quickly and efficiently. With that said, you can utilize these in your garden to promote the growth of the upcoming growing season.
Water
A vital component of plant nutrition, calcium encourages robust growth, cell division, cell elongation, and enzyme activity. In general, many people online have misrepresented calcium, just like they have many other soil-related issues.
The cure for blossom-end rot is always touted as being eggshells. Eggshells won’t hurt the garden in the long run, but they won’t make a difference right away. The secret is to properly and consistently water the soil. Many of us add garden lime to the soil, which will supply calcium.
Watering your tomato seedlings properly not only aids in their early-season growth and nutrient intake, but it’s also frequently the best way to treat blossom end rot.
FAQ
Which is the best way for plants to get calcium?
Calcium is absorbed using the Ca2+ cation. For the majority of gardens, especially organic ones, organic sources are the best providers of this nutrient. See the treatment options mentioned above for further details on organic amendments.
What does soil with high calcium mean?
High calcium content indicates a calcitic soil. Obtain a pH reading of approximately 8.0 after having your soil tested. A pH soil test may help you determine how much of this nutrient is present, even though it shouldn’t have a substantial effect on the plant’s growth.
How much calcium is in clay soil?
Clay particles that undergo cation exchange will be more prevalent in clay soils. Very low-pH regions and sandy soils are common locations for calcium-deficient soils. Ca is less accessible at low pH values, much like other cations in the soil solution.
Because sandy soils have less clay available for cation exchange, it is more difficult for the soil to retain calcium. For example, only a few types of plants thrive in xeriscapes gardens.