I bet Gypsum would be great in RDWC systems that have a lot of water because the user would be able to pre-determine how much gypsum is needed and use a measuring spoon(s) to add it to the final mix.
Professor can I mix togheter with calcium nitrate ? If I can , what order should I mix ? I'M using part A and B nutrients , being A 7-11-27 and B calcium nitrate Thanks for this awesome content !
You can mix calcium sulfate and calcium nitrate in the final solutions (the ones fed to plants), they cannot be mixed in concentrated solutions though.
Hi Daniel, really love this video - thank you for making it!! Oh math 😄 would you mind confirming with me, that if I mix 2.5 grams per 3.8liters, if this would provide ~153 ppm of Ca?
The problem I recently noticed is that all industrial/agricultural sources of calcium sulfate are impure, including plaster of Paris. If you add hydrochloric acid to the calcium sulfate you will see bubbles of CO2. Do you know of a source of pure enough calcium sulfate to use as a calculated nutrient? Does the alpha chem version from Amazon effloresce with HCl? Does it fully dissolve in water?
Thanks for commenting. Most sources will contain some degree of calcium carbonate impurities, unless you buy higher quality - more expensive - calcium sulfate. This small amount of additional calcium carbonate shouldn't be a problem for the application in hydroponics though, as - at the concentrations used - that calcium carbonate is soluble as well, especially at the pH values used in hydroponics.
Calcium carbonate is insoluble, it is also basic, so it will strongly increase the pH of solutions as it dissolves. I wouldn't recommend its use for fertigation.
Awesome video my friend! I jad no idea gypsum was at all soluble. Off to the lab! My math is absolutely horrible converting into gallons. How much sulfer and calcium does one gram of gypsum have in a gallon of water??
@@ScienceinHydroponics thank you! I'm a bit confused though now. I bought some solution grade gypsum from a home brewing supply company. They claim one gram contains 62ppm of calcium, and 147ppm sulfer. Did they add the 1 by mistake on their website?
Hey Daniel. I've been following you for quite some time. I'm having trouble diluting the Ca Sulf dihydrate. I'm using 1.16g in 6 L of water and it precipitates. pH 5.7. Can you point me in the right direction as to why or how to resolve it? Muchas gracias!
The particle size of the calcium sulfate might be too large. It will dissolve, it will just take a really long time. Try using a Ca sulfate source of smaller particle size, meant for irrigation, like this one customhydronutrients.com/Solution-Grade-GYPSUM-50-lb-_p_23372.html. Also, colder temperatures work better to dissolve Ca sulfate, so try to do it with water below 30C.
Hi sir Daniel,I Heard you Say carbonates are soluble and avaiable to the plant,could you tell me if my tap water with about 240ppm of carbonates per liter and 50ppm Cal/27ppm Mg is suitable for Coco coir High frequency fertigation setup?From a chemical point of view,does It block the CEC of Coco?How does carbonates impact my nutrient solution/plant roots?Should I runoff more water?Can I experience buildup and lockout in my plant?
You need to lower the pH of that water, then a lot of those carbonates will be turned into CO2. You must also account for the acid addition in your nutrient profile. Since that addition is very substantial you will likely need to make your own custom nutrients as commercial formulations will not have adequate ratios for you.
@@ScienceinHydroponics Basically I should work out a inique A solution that has decreased values of Ca,Mg and total N,or just use So4 as pH down and only scale Ca/Mg content in my one part hydroponic solution,is this right Doc?
Not very easily, you still need nitrogen to come from somewhere. In most cases calcium nitrate cannot be substituted for, at least not in its entirety.
Thanks for commenting. Yes, you can. That can help you saturate the cation exchange capacity of the coco pretty quickly. Making it a more predictable substrate. However, it is important to then avoid adding any Ca to the nutrient solution.
If you purchase coco that has not been rinsed and buffered, running a calcium nutrient through it before use is something I consider a necessity for good results. If you test your coir conductivity and it is 2.0 or more (often 4.5 or more if it is “fresh”) then almost all of that conductivity is from potassium based on my soils tests. And that is a toxic level. Rinsing plain water to get the potassium down does not work very efficiently; it is much better to rinse with calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate (mag is optional but good) or optionally you can mix gypsum with your coir, moisten, allow to sit, then rinse with plain water until the runoff is below 2.0mS/cm. If you grow outdoors and have the time you can purchase the coir a season ahead and let rain rinse it for you. A couple grams per gallon substrate should be sufficient. Note: some calcium will bind to the coir and will not rinse away. This replaces potassium and sodium that were previously bound.
I bet Gypsum would be great in RDWC systems that have a lot of water because the user would be able to pre-determine how much gypsum is needed and use a measuring spoon(s) to add it to the final mix.
Thanks for commenting. That is a good use case!
Great content from a great teacher. Big thañks 🌿💚
Thanks a lot for your kind words!
I wouldl like to know if Gypsum will also in hydroponics have the effect of Imbalancing the Potassium and Mg ratios?
Professor can I mix togheter with calcium nitrate ? If I can , what order should I mix ? I'M using part A and B nutrients , being A 7-11-27 and B calcium nitrate
Thanks for this awesome content !
You can mix calcium sulfate and calcium nitrate in the final solutions (the ones fed to plants), they cannot be mixed in concentrated solutions though.
@@ScienceinHydroponics thank you professor ! I'm already using and the results are awesome , thanks for sharing the knowledge with us !😊
Hi Daniel, really love this video - thank you for making it!!
Oh math 😄 would you mind confirming with me, that if I mix 2.5 grams per 3.8liters, if this would provide ~153 ppm of Ca?
Thanks for commenting. That is correct!
The problem I recently noticed is that all industrial/agricultural sources of calcium sulfate are impure, including plaster of Paris. If you add hydrochloric acid to the calcium sulfate you will see bubbles of CO2. Do you know of a source of pure enough calcium sulfate to use as a calculated nutrient? Does the alpha chem version from Amazon effloresce with HCl? Does it fully dissolve in water?
Thanks for commenting. Most sources will contain some degree of calcium carbonate impurities, unless you buy higher quality - more expensive - calcium sulfate. This small amount of additional calcium carbonate shouldn't be a problem for the application in hydroponics though, as - at the concentrations used - that calcium carbonate is soluble as well, especially at the pH values used in hydroponics.
wow. did not know that. what of calcium carbonate? mygreathanks and blessings
Calcium carbonate is insoluble, it is also basic, so it will strongly increase the pH of solutions as it dissolves. I wouldn't recommend its use for fertigation.
@@ScienceinHydroponics and calcium acetate? mygreathanks and blessings
Awesome video my friend! I jad no idea gypsum was at all soluble. Off to the lab!
My math is absolutely horrible converting into gallons. How much sulfer and calcium does one gram of gypsum have in a gallon of water??
Thanks for commenting. An addition of 1g/gal of gypsum would give you 61.5 ppm of Ca and 49.2 ppm of S.
@@ScienceinHydroponics thank you! I'm a bit confused though now. I bought some solution grade gypsum from a home brewing supply company. They claim one gram contains 62ppm of calcium, and 147ppm sulfer. Did they add the 1 by mistake on their website?
Hey Daniel. I've been following you for quite some time. I'm having trouble diluting the Ca Sulf dihydrate. I'm using 1.16g in 6 L of water and it precipitates. pH 5.7. Can you point me in the right direction as to why or how to resolve it? Muchas gracias!
The particle size of the calcium sulfate might be too large. It will dissolve, it will just take a really long time. Try using a Ca sulfate source of smaller particle size, meant for irrigation, like this one customhydronutrients.com/Solution-Grade-GYPSUM-50-lb-_p_23372.html. Also, colder temperatures work better to dissolve Ca sulfate, so try to do it with water below 30C.
Hi sir Daniel,I Heard you Say carbonates are soluble and avaiable to the plant,could you tell me if my tap water with about 240ppm of carbonates per liter and 50ppm Cal/27ppm Mg is suitable for Coco coir High frequency fertigation setup?From a chemical point of view,does It block the CEC of Coco?How does carbonates impact my nutrient solution/plant roots?Should I runoff more water?Can I experience buildup and lockout in my plant?
You need to lower the pH of that water, then a lot of those carbonates will be turned into CO2. You must also account for the acid addition in your nutrient profile. Since that addition is very substantial you will likely need to make your own custom nutrients as commercial formulations will not have adequate ratios for you.
@@ScienceinHydroponics Basically I should work out a inique A solution that has decreased values of Ca,Mg and total N,or just use So4 as pH down and only scale Ca/Mg content in my one part hydroponic solution,is this right Doc?
I can't to buy calcium nitrate for hydroponic solution. Can gypsum be substituted for calcium nitrate?
Not very easily, you still need nitrogen to come from somewhere. In most cases calcium nitrate cannot be substituted for, at least not in its entirety.
I can't buy calcium nitrate with NPK and epsom salt. Please, how should I do it?
Can you add gypsum as an amendment to coco instead?
Thanks for commenting. Yes, you can. That can help you saturate the cation exchange capacity of the coco pretty quickly. Making it a more predictable substrate. However, it is important to then avoid adding any Ca to the nutrient solution.
If you purchase coco that has not been rinsed and buffered, running a calcium nutrient through it before use is something I consider a necessity for good results. If you test your coir conductivity and it is 2.0 or more (often 4.5 or more if it is “fresh”) then almost all of that conductivity is from potassium based on my soils tests. And that is a toxic level. Rinsing plain water to get the potassium down does not work very efficiently; it is much better to rinse with calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate (mag is optional but good) or optionally you can mix gypsum with your coir, moisten, allow to sit, then rinse with plain water until the runoff is below 2.0mS/cm. If you grow outdoors and have the time you can purchase the coir a season ahead and let rain rinse it for you. A couple grams per gallon substrate should be sufficient.
Note: some calcium will bind to the coir and will not rinse away. This replaces potassium and sodium that were previously bound.
@@ScienceinHydroponics Thank you for replying!
That does make sense.
Thank you for the wonderful knowledge you've been sharing
@@SetTheCurve Thanks for the info!
@@ScienceinHydroponics wouldn't the gypsum just rinse out of the coco? Since it's water soluble and all..