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Abbotsford, B.C

I was talking with a grower friend of mine from Alberta yesterday, and we got onto the subject of biomin calcium. I asked him if he had used any of it as a towel soak for the pumpkin, and he said he had, but only once. He had used it when the pumpkin was still pretty young, and had diluted some of the biomin calcium in a 1:1 rato with water, and soaked the towel in it, and laid the wet towel on his pumpkin surface, and left. When he came back a little later, it was as if some sort of acid had been eating into the pumpkin surface from the biomin calcium towel he had applied, and he said that the marks from it are still on the pumpkin even now. Has anyone else ever heard of this happening? Did he not dilute it enough, or should he not have used it on a young fruit? Why in the world would the biomin calcium have, as he put it, "eat into the pumpkin skin"? Hope someone can help me here, I would be very interested in finding out why this happened.

Cameron

8/12/2005 3:06:55 PM

[email protected]

I wouldn't exceed 1% on a young fruit. A 50% dilution is really asking for trouble. Where did the 1:1 rate come from?

8/12/2005 4:47:23 PM

Montoursville, PA

On a young pumpkin with very tender skin the burn could have been laundry detergent residue too.

8/12/2005 10:00:18 PM

Key West, FL

ya, calcium will burn the pumpkin and give you some brown spots and sore type things on the skin. Wait until the pumpkin is older to apply calcium dirrectly to the pumpkin. I gave mine some calcium a little to early this year, burned a few a little.

8/13/2005 2:26:28 PM

Abbotsford, B.C

Okay. Well, apparently, from what he told me, I got the impression that there were no instructions that came with the biomin calcium as pertaining to using it directly on the fruit skin. I don't know why he chose to use a 1:1 ratio, but I can can ask him the next time I use him. I'll relay the info you have given me to him. Thanks,

Cameron

8/14/2005 12:33:16 AM

ipswich, ma usa

I was using 1tsp per liter of fol-i-cal and that burnt pretty bad too. I was spraying it with a mist bottle right onto the pumpkin every day starting at day 30. Little pock marks everywhere, I'll let ya know how the new half strength works. Any one else find a measure that works well for them?

John (5150)

8/16/2005 8:39:07 AM

Warwood

I use 1/2 oz. of 12% chelated calcium per gal. of water every other day sprayed in a fine mist on the pumpkin mostly the blossom half.Haven't seen any problems. I didn't start this process till a couple days ago when the pumpkin is about 40 days old. I have also used this rate foliar once a week. Don

8/17/2005 12:26:14 PM