Tag: calcium

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The Secret Ingredient to an Incredible Florida Garden

Cracked Egg Shells

As Florida Gardeners, we come across many challenges. Some of the biggest challenges that many people face are end rot [normally on cucumbers, tomatoes, etc.] and powdery mildew. At Florida Seed & Garden, we get asked many questions about how to naturally take care of these issues. It just so happens that we have a recommendation that will not only help to prevent these issues from arising but will enhance the overall health of the soil. Remember that healthy plants come from healthy dirt.

Powdery mildew and end rot can be an unwanted scourge in the Floridian’s beautiful garden. These terrible diseases hit plants hard, making it difficult for a plant to produce even the smallest tomato. We advise taking a precautionary measure ADD EGG SHELLS TO YOUR SOIL! Adding eggshells to your soil is an inexpensive way to boost the calcium levels in our often-times deficient soil. Below we will discuss the benefits of this addition.

  • The presence of calcium helps to prevent powdery mildew and end rot. Most of the time, these diseases set in due to a lack of calcium in the soil [and by extension the plant].
  • Calcium, specifically eggshells as they break down, act as a probiotic in the soil. This leads to an increase in beneficial bacteria. The more active and vibrant your soil’s good bacteria are, the more organic, soil-present nutrients are available for the plants. The result? Healthier, more robust plants!
  • Increased probiotic activity has one more MAJOR BENEFIT. The good bacteria attack bugs. Most undesirable bugs have exoskeletons made out a material called Chiton. The good bacteria attack the bug’s exoskeleton, harming and deterring harmful bugs from the garden [like ants, aphids, etc.].

To summarize, adding eggshells to the soil boosts the amount of calcium. The presence of more calcium leads to healthier plants [no end rot or powdery mildew], more of the soil’s nutrients are available to the plants due to increases activity of beneficial bacteria, and naturally defends your garden from unwanted insect invaders.