Question about Cal-Mag

I've never used it but was wondering the difference between Cal-Mag and Black Strap molasses. Besides price.

The black strap is labelled 15ml contains 20% calcium, 25% Magnesium.

Whats in Cal-Mag that makes it different then black strap?

I'm not 100% on this but I believe black strap is used to feed your benies in bloom and provide carbs. Cal-mag is used to provide Cal-mag. I'be never used black strap hence my general lack of definitive understanding. I have used tons of Cal-mag on coco runs however.

The label on molasses is the percentage of daily value for humans. Not the amount of nutrients in the bottle.

The numbers on the cal mag bottle are the amount of available minerals to the plant.

Molasses will not feed the plants. It is used to give the beneficial bacteria some food.

It is also mostly a myth and too much will likely cause problems.

cal-mag+ is a waste of money. If you're using hydro, just buy the ingredients. (particularly calcium nitrate and Iron DTPA)

All hydro growers should have yara calcium nitrate at their disposal.

MichiganMedGrower said:

The label on molasses is the percentage of daily value for humans. Not the amount of nutrients in the bottle.

The numbers on the cal mag bottle are the amount of available minerals to the plant.

Molasses will not feed the plants. It is used to give the beneficial bacteria some food.

It is also mostly a myth and too much will likely cause problems.

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Percentage of the product by volume (potassium) Not the daily value. It's not vitamins. I'm finding the results of using black strap contrary to belief. I've read about cal-mag. (2-0-0)

Didn't read what gives it the nitrogen. Magnesium and calcium sure. I can't find the NPK value of black strap either. 1 gram protein. That's nitrogen but how much?

SouthCross said:

Percentage of the product by volume (potassium) Not the daily value. It's not vitamins. I'm finding the results of using black strap contrary to belief. I've read about cal-mag. (2-0-0)

Didn't read what gives it the nitrogen. Magnesium and calcium sure. I can't find the NPK value of black strap either. 1 gram protein. That's nitrogen but how much?

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The ingredient is calcium nitrate and it is the problem with cal mag +. If I needed calcium, magnesium or iron supplementation I would use those individual products to solve the individual deficiency.

And the NPK of molasses is zero. NPK is a percentage based on plant available nutrients.

That is why concentrated powders can be in the double digits like 20-20-20. And organic feed can be in decimals. 1-.05-1.5 for example.

Also I don't have a bottle handy but the percentages on food containers in the United States is percentage of daily value. I have seen this argument on forums before.

Of course there is mag and stuff in molasses. But mostly it is sugar. There is not 20% of anything else in there.

Vitamins also have the % daily value on them like food. I worked 4 years as account manager for a natural pharmaceutical company and sold therapeutic vitamins to doctors.

I browsed the hydro store, saw a few bottles that had pure mag, pure calcium.

I did make some of my own calcium nitrate with nitric acid and lab grade marble chips marble chips but there's that pesky nitrogen again. I have conc. sulfuric acid so I should be able to make calcium sulfate with that. I have the GrowTek CalMag and it's 2-0-0 as well. I use very little CalMag so I'm not sure the N in it would make any difference. Epsom salts for the Mg.

OldMedUser said:

I did make some of my own calcium nitrate with nitric acid and lab grade marble chips marble chips but there's that pesky nitrogen again. I have conc. sulfuric acid so I should be able to make calcium sulfate with that. I have the GrowTek CalMag and it's 2-0-0 as well. I use very little CalMag so I'm not sure the N in it would make any difference. Epsom salts for the Mg.

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Is there a drawback to excess sulfur early in Bloom? I was under the impression you should switch Calmag to MagSulfur halfway through Bloom.

I use Big Bud for my bloom booster starting a week before I flip and it has 10% S so a bit more shouldn't hurt. You really have to go overboard with S to screw anything up too so it should be fine.

OldMedUser said:

I use Big Bud for my bloom booster starting a week before I flip and it has 10% S so a bit more shouldn't hurt. You really have to go overboard with S to screw anything up too so it should be fine.

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I'm adding Epsom salt at about 150ppm starting at the end of week 4. Not sure what the composition is, Mg vs Sulfur.

The rest of the time it's Botanicare Calmag Plus and the little Mg in Bud Candy, which I use to feed beneficials instead of molasses. I have molasses, just unsure if it's the way to go. I seem to have issues with Mg and Calcium until I hit Bloom, then it goes away. I think so anyway. I get a little necrotic spotting, and purple stems that will come and fade with new stem growth at times. New growth shoots will sometimes turn reddish purplish. They are fine when they grow out. I'm experimenting with adding Azomite currently to ease this possible issue.

Calmag is for strains that hog it.

Molasses is a sweetener. Its absorbed by the bud, making it heavier, giving it a sugary frost, and a sweet smell. If your soil is on par its getting sugars through other means. Do carbs feed bennies? Yes but thats not whats going on here.. Just like all the acids hydro stores will sell you. Just keep the synthetics out and the plant/soil make everything they need.

Molasses is on par with cinnamon, vanilla and the likes of old school imports. It adds more weight the later you feed it. Put 2 and 2 together. Since the molasses resurgence, the taste gets so familiar and now people wonder why the weed is sweet and not sour.. Not even seeing the answer under their nose.

Trichometry101 said:

Just keep the synthetics out and the plant/soil make everything they need.

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It's hard to do that if the grow style is soilless.

Trichometry101 said:

Calmag is for strains that hog it.

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But RO water has those base minerals removed, so the have to be added back in, the question can be the concentration.

Trichometry101 said:

Calmag is for strains that hog it.

Molasses is a sweetener. Its absorbed by the bud, making it heavier, giving it a sugary frost, and a sweet smell. If your soil is on par its getting sugars through other means. Do carbs feed bennies? Yes but thats not whats going on here.. Just like all the acids hydro stores will sell you. Just keep the synthetics out and the plant/soil make everything they need.

Molasses is on par with cinnamon, vanilla and the likes of old school imports. It adds more weight the later you feed it. Put 2 and 2 together. Since the molasses resurgence, the taste gets so familiar and now people wonder why the weed is sweet and not sour.. Not even seeing the answer under their nose.

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Plants make their own carbs they don't uptake sugar. It sure doesn't collect in the buds.

And cal mag is a product meant to re mineralize filtered water. Plants don't "hog" it. The individual elements in it are all used for different processes in the plant. And they use what they need in ratio as they grow.

And even with ro water if you use a complete base nute it is not needed.

Coco tends to hold on to those elements tight so it is useful to use to keep coco charged.

MichiganMedGrower said:

Plants make their own carbs they don't uptake sugar. It sure doesn't collect in the buds.

And cal mag is a product meant to re mineralize filtered water. Plants don't "hog" it. The individual elements in it are all used for different processes in the plant. And they use what they need in ratio as they grow.

And even with ro water if you use a complete base nute it is not needed.

Coco tends to hold on to those elements tight so it is useful to use to keep coco charged.

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Ok bro, you know you're shit, and going this route has been my choice, but I'm using Sunshine Advanced #4, which is a Coco/Peat hybrid with rich Perlite. I like the consistency because it dries out faster and is hard to overwater, but how to account for a Coco/Peat hybrid is a mind fuck when you are early in the game. I've been doing runs of 4 reg seeds and starting new batches every few weeks, getting mother's and clones going, so I've been experimenting along the way, albeit in a noob way, changing too many variables at once.

Underground Scientist said:

Ok bro, you know you're shit, and going this route has been my choice, but I'm using Sunshine Advanced #4, which is a Coco/Peat hybrid with rich Perlite. I like the consistency because it dries out faster and is hard to overwater, but how to account for a Coco/Peat hybrid is a mind fuck when you are early in the game. I've been doing runs of 4 reg seeds and starting new batches every few weeks, getting mother's and clones going, so I've been experimenting along the way, albeit in a noob way, changing too many variables at once.

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Using General Hydroponics Flora, Botanicare Calmag Plus, and AN Additives.

Underground Scientist said:

Ok bro, you know you're shit, and going this route has been my choice, but I'm using Sunshine Advanced #4, which is a Coco/Peat hybrid with rich Perlite. I like the consistency because it dries out faster and is hard to overwater, but how to account for a Coco/Peat hybrid is a mind fuck when you are early in the game. I've been doing runs of 4 reg seeds and starting new batches every few weeks, getting mother's and clones going, so I've been experimenting along the way, albeit in a noob way, changing too many variables at once.

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Sounds like you are learning. I had no gardening experience 3 years ago. I had known growers for many years but I was only buying weed not interested in growing then. I never even watered a house plant.

When I started reading the threads on the forums I realized there is too much mis-information for a beginner to figure out what to do so I read books and Greenhouse guides and such instead which led me to Botany.

Once my perpetual garden was successful for a couple of years the. I joined here to learn and help.

It is very confusing for most of us. I say try to keep it very simple and if trying to get guidance and opinions here make sure you know why not just what to do.

Good luck with your Grows. This is the most rewarding work I have ever done. I hope other growers feel that way too.

MichiganMedGrower said:

Sounds like you are learning. I had no gardening experience 3 years ago. I had known growers for many years but I was only buying weed not interested in growing then. I never even watered a house plant.

When I started reading the threads on the forums I realized there is too much mis-information for a beginner to figure out what to do so I read books and Greenhouse guides and such instead which led me to Botany.

Once my perpetual garden was successful for a couple of years the. I joined here to learn and help.

It is very confusing for most of us. I say try to keep it very simple and if trying to get guidance and opinions here make sure you know why not just what to do.

Good luck with your Grows. This is the most rewarding work I have ever done. I hope other growers feel that way too.

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Oh I hear ya. I'm enjoying this, learning more all the time. I rely the most on my experience with my plants and what they're telling me. I'm doing a perpetual too. Things aren't going too bad in Bloom:

Underground Scientist said:

Oh I hear ya. I'm enjoying this, learning more all the time. I rely the most on my experience with my plants and what they're telling me. I'm doing a perpetual too. Things aren't going too bad in Bloom:

View attachment 3957163

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Looks pretty good. If I may constructively comment. They are getting a bit too much fertilizer. The thick and curled down leaves are the warning.

I would lightly leach the pots with some fresh water and then pour in a milder mixture.

MichiganMedGrower said:

Looks pretty good. If I may constructively comment. They are getting a bit too much fertilizer. The thick and curled down leaves are the warning.

I would lightly leach the pots with some fresh water and then pour in a milder mixture.

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For sure, the two larger plants were in the phase of my growing I tested the limits of Calmag supplementation and feeding at the late veg/ transplant stage. Definitely got some toxicity, I've been plain water feeding and watching intently. My Veg is being adapted to lower Calmag levels and reasonable nute levels. I had it in my head that if my plants aren't dark green I was messing up, but I've realized what healthy is for my strains and I'm going with it.