Gardening MythBusters: Eggshells for Calcium
go.ncsu.edu/readext?1003048
en Español / em Português
El inglés es el idioma de control de esta página. En la medida en que haya algún conflicto entre la traducción al inglés y la traducción, el inglés prevalece.
Al hacer clic en el enlace de traducción se activa un servicio de traducción gratuito para convertir la página al español. Al igual que con cualquier traducción por Internet, la conversión no es sensible al contexto y puede que no traduzca el texto en su significado original. NC State Extension no garantiza la exactitud del texto traducido. Por favor, tenga en cuenta que algunas aplicaciones y/o servicios pueden no funcionar como se espera cuando se traducen.
Português
Inglês é o idioma de controle desta página. Na medida que haja algum conflito entre o texto original em Inglês e a tradução, o Inglês prevalece.
Ao clicar no link de tradução, um serviço gratuito de tradução será ativado para converter a página para o Português. Como em qualquer tradução pela internet, a conversão não é sensivel ao contexto e pode não ocorrer a tradução para o significado orginal. O serviço de Extensão da Carolina do Norte (NC State Extension) não garante a exatidão do texto traduzido. Por favor, observe que algumas funções ou serviços podem não funcionar como esperado após a tradução.
English
English is the controlling language of this page. To the extent there is any conflict between the English text and the translation, English controls.
Clicking on the translation link activates a free translation service to convert the page to Spanish. As with any Internet translation, the conversion is not context-sensitive and may not translate the text to its original meaning. NC State Extension does not guarantee the accuracy of the translated text. Please note that some applications and/or services may not function as expected when translated.
Collapse ▲
Photo taken by Kellie Luton
Every year around this time, I find myself scrolling through social media and getting lost in those 30 to 60 second videos. You know the ones I’m talking about – you watch one video of a recipe that looks tasty, then another video of someone doing a craft autoplays, followed by a cleaning trick, and so on and so forth. Eventually, you’ll probably find yourself watching a video of gardening hacks. After all, this is the season when many gardeners are getting out and really active in their gardens again. Gardeners are seeking out new methods to improve their garden bounty and efforts. They may even be tempted to try some of these so-called “gardening hacks” often seen on social media. I’ve seen everything from using egg shells around tomatoes to planting seeds inside of bananas and eggs, rather than soil or other typical media. The accuracy of gardening hacks you see online is pretty diverse – ranging from mildly true to pretty irrational. Quite frankly, they are presented in ways that seem factual so it can be hard to distinguish which “hack” is likely to help your plants thrive and which “hacks” will help them meet a quicker end.
Let’s bust one of these gardening myths. As mentioned previously, I see many videos or posts of people using crushed up eggshells around their tomato plants to prevent blossom end rot. This hack is semi-based on truth. Blossom end rot in tomatoes, peppers and some cucurbits is caused by a calcium deficiency. Egg shells are, in fact, composed of mainly calcium carbonate. In theory, this gardening hack has the potential to hold true. However, the reality is that blossom end rot is usually due to uneven watering, making it difficult for the plant to take up the calcium that is in the soil. In some cases, it is due to lack of calcium in the soil. Adding eggshells will not make calcium available to plants in a timely enough fashion to help with blossom end rot. To protect your spring garden bounty, it is always advisable to take an early spring soil sample to get some insight on whether your soil has the correct amount of calcium and other essential nutrients. Keeping your tomatoes and other garden plants on a consistent schedule will help to prevent issues with nutrient uptake and keep your plants thriving.
If you find yourself unsure of a solution to any gardening woes, contact your local Extension office at 252-482-6585. We can help you determine the gardening practices that are true and practical, with research to back it up. Happy gardening!