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1. What Are The Different
Forms of Calcium?
The Total Soil Calcium is the sum of:
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Rock Calcium: It's the Calcium found in the stones, very little
is available for the soil and the plants.
-
Active Calcium: It's the Calcium Carbonate (CaC03) in the soil
solution. In this form, the Calcium is limited because CO3 must
first fix the H+ before releasing Calcium.
-
Exchangeable
Calcium: It's the Calcium fixed on to the Clay/Humus
complex. It's the available source of Calcium for the
plants.
The figure below
represents Active and Exchangeable Calcium in the Clay/Humus
complex.
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2. Does
the Origin of Raw Material or the Manufacturing Process Make
a Difference in the Product's Effectiveness?
Yes, the origin and manufacturing process makes a significant
difference in a products effectiveness.
Quarry Origin: High Cal and Dolomitic Limestone as well as Gypsum
originate from rock quarries where they mine, crush and grind
the stone enough to pass 5% of the product through a 200 mesh
sieve. Although mailer in size, its true form is still Rock Calcium,
a form not readily available to plants. Grinding processes increase
the hardness and decrease the porosity making less soluble. Quality
of product depends on source and sieve size before pelletizing.
Sea Origin: PhysioCal (Calcified Seaweed or Maerl) is harvested
from the sea and is naturally soft and porous. It takes little
pressure to process this material, therefore the integrity of
the product remains intact. Manufacturers will grind PhysioCal
to where 50% of the material passes through a 400 mesh sieve
making it more soluble. Quality of product depends on source
and sieve size prior to pelletizing
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