Nutri-Cal has proven to be effective against:

• Bitter pit and corking in apples and pears
• Blossom end rot on tomatoes, peppers and melons
• Internal brown spot and hollow heart in potatoes and other root crops
• Tip burn on lettuce
• Black heart on celery
• Split pit in cherries and other stone fruits

In addition, low yields and soft fruit is often due to calcium deficiency.
Click here to see symptoms of common calcium deficiency disorders.

Plants often don’t benefit from calcium-rich soil, for several reasons:

• Calcium often reacts with other elements in the soil to create an insoluble compound. When this happens, the calcium is not available for uptake by plants.
• When calcium in the soil does enter plant roots, it often forms an insoluble compound there. Despite the presence of calcium in the plant roots, it’s not able to travel to the fruit or vegetable where it’s needed.
• Even when calcium can travel through the plant, it only does so for 4 to 6 weeks after bloom. This leaves the plant vulnerable to calcium deficiency disorders as harvest time nears.
• Drought conditions increase the likelihood of calcium deficiency, since moisture is required to transport calcium throughout the plant.

The beauty of Nutri-Cal is that it’s immediately available to plants, providing fast results. Because it’s sprayed directly on the plant in a form that can be readily absorbed, plants start benefiting immediately upon application.

One common recommendation for treating calcium deficiency in plants is to add agricultural lime (calcium carbonate) to the soil. As explained in the question above, calcium in the soil is frequently unavailable to the plant when and where it’s needed.

Another common recommendation is to spray plants with calcium chloride. Calcium chloride is highly corrosive, and can easily burn leaves and fruit. What’s more, calcium chloride suspensions require constant agitation, and are difficult for plant leaves to absorb.

Like Nutri-Cal, a calcium chelate has a ring around the calcium ion which forms a new molecule. A chelate attaches itself to two or more sites on the ion, and forms a tight bond. By contrast, a complexed ion, such as that used in Nutri-Cal, attaches at only one site, allowing a quicker release.

Synthetic chelates, such as EDTA, are often comprised of molecules that are larger than leaf pores, making it difficult to enter the plant.

Between Nutri-Cal’s easy absorption and easy release, results are far superior to those achieved with chelated calcium.

Fruits and Vegetables

• Dilute 3 oz. in a gallon of water and spray directly on leaves and fruit 1 to 2 times per week throughout the growing season.

Ornamentals

• Apply a dilution of 2 oz. per gallon of water every 7-21 days throughout the growing season.

Flowering Plants

• Spray on plant leaves or apply to soil in a dilution of 2 oz. per gallon every 7-21 days during growing season. Spray to wet, not to run off.

Potted Plants

• Water plants with a dilution of 2 oz. per gallon of water every 14 to 28 days throughout the growing season.

Cool Season Grasses

• Apply 3-9 oz. per 1000 sq. feet every 7-28 days throughout the growing season.

Warm Season Grasses

• Apply 3-9 oz. per 1000 square feet every 7-28 days from mid-summer to mid-fall, then every 4-5 weeks.

Greenhouse Plants & Transplants

• Spray on plant leaves or water with a dilution of 2 oz. per gallon of water every 7-28 days through the growing period.

Nutri-Cal should not be mixed with phosphate fertilizers, but can be used in combination with most other products.