Anyone grind there eggshells for there plants. Been doing this about 5 yrs now and have had zero blossom end rot on my maters.
by Background_Being8287
Anyone grind there eggshells for there plants. Been doing this about 5 yrs now and have had zero blossom end rot on my maters.
by Background_Being8287
37 Comments
I recently read that leaving little flecks of shell is good for birds too so I grind them, but not that finely.
I do this too but not so finely. I have a problem with snail so I leave crunched up shells around vulnerable plants. Eventually, it becomes an additive to the soil.
I throw them into my compost. No work. No blossom end rot.
Where eggshells? Where plants?
Yeah I do this and add to my compost. Then feed my compost to my worms. Then feed my worm poop to my plants. And then let people wonder why my plants look so vigorous when they struggle to keep theirs alive.
How many eggs are you eating god damn
I don’t till my garden and use mulch on top. No blossom end rot.
My soil is rich in calcium, eggshells calcium isn’t bio-available in the form it’s in before being digested by soil microbes and blossom end rot is usually caused by lack of consistent water that shuts off available calcium to the fruits rather than lack of calcium in the soil. [link](https://www.gardenmyths.com/blossom-end-rot/)
If you want to compost eggshells rather than throw them in the garbage then it’s a good option to toss them in. If your tomatoes have blossom end rot then I’d pick up a soil test kit to see if calcium levels are low – then pick up a tomato fertilizer which has bioavailable calcium and other nutrients tomatoes need if the soil is indeed lacking in that department. Growing tomatoes that are less prone to BER is also an option, Romas seem to be the ones that have it most from what I see posted locally.
I really only get blossom end rot on plum tomatoes.
Plants can’t take minerals from shells, grinded or not.
Blossom rot is often not a result of available calcium in the soil, but the plants ability to extract it.
Too much water in the soil? The calcium in the soil is overly diluted.
Not enough water in the soil? Calcium isn’t accessible for the plant if it is not in solution.
Blossom end rot isn’t actually caused by a lack of calcium in the soil, it’s specifically located in the plant. That’s why sprays are recommended. It’s caused by inconsistent watering that doesn’t allow calcium and other nutrients to reach the fruit. Eggshells are great, but they take several months to a year to began degrading so it’s hard to help your current plants. Likely you just got better about watering, which is also a great thing 😊
If you dissolve them in ACV or rice vinegar you have water soluble calcium.
I have a rock that prevents being attacked by leopards. I have not been attacked by a leopard since buying this rock. It works.
Seriously, egg shells do provide calcium – after 1-5 years depending on conditions. Though BER is almost never an issue of lack of calcium in the soil. It’s a result of pH, watering, or other issues.
I don’t use enough eggs, wtf do you people use a dozen eggs a day? I just buy some CalMag
I grind them, then let that powder soak in vinegar until
The vinegar evaporates (a few days). You end up with a small amount of calcium acetate with the calcium carbonate.
The calcium acetate is more bio-available than calcium carbonate. No blossom end rot.
I dissolve a few eggs worth of shells in a citric acid solution once a year … converts the calcium carbonate into calcium citrate which is more bioavailable. Dilute and spray on my tomato and pepper beds at the start of each season – no more end rot.
I don’t do this and I also don’t have blossom end rot.
While blossom end rot is a “lack of calcium” it’s caused by uptake issues. You water more consistently without over watering, and that’s why you haven’t had BER. The egg shells aren’t doing anything about it. It is a soil addative and nothing wrong with adding to your compost pile though.
Never done this, never will. Consistent moisture management is all thats needed.
Their, for the love of God
Have you done a soil test?
Eggshells need to be washed, dried and then baked. (not burnt) Then you grind them and rinse them gently with water and fulvic around plants and soil in general.
Didn’t realize I was in /gardening and thought this was going to be another “is my creatine bad” post.
🤣
I’m too lazy to grind. I just mix it into the soil with other kitchen compost. Takes longer, but not too bad overall. I guess I don’t want to dry it out and grind it. 🤷🏻♀️
Also a good addition in the spring to bird feeders in the garden
*their
their
I just use some Cal-Mag. The egg shells go into the compost bin.
I don’t eat nearly enough eggs. I just throw some pelletized lime in my soil before tilling.
Whats your method for prepping and grinding eggshells?
A couple of years ago I had blossom end rot on a lot of the tomatoes and put bone meal and magnesium sulfate in the soil and it did help the newer tomatoes. Admittedly, I had bought crappy soil at the time for my 4’ containers that turned out to be made up of mostly wood chunks so that could have contributed.
They are going in my compost
You need to mix it with lemon juice so make it carbonate formula so plants can absorb. See this – https://www.instagram.com/reel/DVX-qePFILc/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
I don’t grind them up, yet, but I do put them in my compost.
I’m currently trying to collect shells from family and friends so I can start grinding it. Egg shells are also great for my reptile care, as I focus on bioactive enclosures and not only do the lizards benefit from the extra calcium, but the insects that keep the bioactive “clean” (clean by nature standards) need calcium or they can’t shed their exoskeleton causing death.
I have chickens so I throw my eggshells to them. But I do side dress my plants with bone meal.
I compress mine into a big cube and sit it in the garden and my blossom end rot is going absolutely wild
Bro I thought this was grandma, you gotta get a different container