Readily Available Calcium for Your Soil Ni/Cal. 7-0-0-10 Readily Available Calcium for Your Soil J&J Agri-Products & Services, Inc.

About Ni/Cal Ni/Cal is a formulation of Calcium Nitrate plus J&J’s formula of carbon and trace elements. Ni/Cal has a neutral pH with its nitrogen in the nitrate form as a starter. Ni/Cal provides an immediately available source of calcium to plants as well as an easily accessible source of other essential nutrients, minerals, and trace elements.

Why use Ni/Cal? Calcium plays an important role in the uptake of water and nutrients by neutralizing the organic acids in a plant. Calcium also combines with a substance called pectin to form a material that cements and binds cell walls together. A readily available source of Calcium also helps maintain healthy and stable root growth. Due to the fact that Ni/Cal is a liquid formula it has been proven to be more efficient in having readily available Calcium as opposed to dry forms of Calcium which take more time to break down and become usable by the plant. In other words; Calcium rich soil = Healthy Crops Ni/Cal is most effective when used as a supplement to a well balanced soil fertility program. Always work from updated and valid soil tests to determine what your soil needs to help minimize input costs.

Soil Tests Where soil tests indicate a shortage of calcium, the proper application of readily available calcium may increase the yields from 20% to 50%. Soils that require Calcium applications are usually acidic, sandy, or peat and muck soils. Heavier soils like silt and clay loams may exhibit a Calcium deficiency in certain conditions. Even soils formed from Limestone, often known to be acidic in the surface layer may still show signs of a Calcium deficiency problem commonly caused by leaching. Also crops grown under stressed and draught like conditions or with high potash applications may cause a Calcium deficiency in the soil. All the above Calcium deficient related problems can be detected through soil testing.

How to cure Calcium Deficient Soil Since Ni/Cal is a readily available source of Calcium and other nutrients it can be used efficiently cure most Calcium deficient soils. Attempting to adjust the soil pH with yearly applications of Limestone may not work because most Limestone is rather insoluble and takes years to break down its Calcium to use as a plant nutrient. Unlike Limestone, Ni/Cal is less apt to tie up in the soil and will remain available even in adverse conditions. Ni/Cal is also completely non-toxic when applied in the proper manner.

Applying Ni/Cal Ni/Cal is in a liquid form, therefore it can be applied with any type of ground sprayer or airplane. Water is used as the carrier but the ratio for the mixture of Ni/Cal with water will vary based upon the results of your soil test. It is recommended to always use at least ten gallons of water per acre when making a diluted solution from Ni/Cal. NEVER MIX NI/CAL WITH ANY LIQUID FERTILIZERS CONTAINING PHOSPHORUS. NI/CAL IS NOT COMPATIBLE WITH ANY FORM OF PHOSPHORUS. ALWAYS CHECK COMPATIBILITY BY MIXING A SMALL AMOUNT OF ALL PRODUCTS BEFORE TANK MIXING.

Ni/Cal vs. Lime Here are some of the benefits provided by Ni/Cal that Lime does not: - Lower cost per acre than Lime rates. - Compatible with other tank mixes including mixtures that contain Fungicides, Herbicides, or Pesticides. - Reduced required storage space. - Sold in large and small volumes. - Easier to handle, both mixing and applying. - Can be applied at anytime during the growing process. - Readily available Calcium for plants after application as apposed to Lime which takes 2-3 years to provide the same amount of available Calcium.

For Example: Mr. Bill Weinman of Katy, Texas tested Ni/Cal verses Lime on his farm. The first pH test prior to any application of Ni/Cal or Lime was 4.7 pH. The following is a summary of subsequent pH tests and some detail of the testing: Date Ni/Cal pH Lime pH 12/7 6.6 6.7 4/22 6.9 6.8 12/29 5.9 5.7 Ni/Cal and Lime were applied in April to separate sections of the field. Ni/Cal was applied at the rate of 2 gallons per acre and Lime was applied at the rate of 2 tons per acre. During this test there was no additional Ni/Cal or Lime applied to the sections. Mr. Weinman noticed the crop produced equally well on both sections. But, the cost of Lime was more than double the cost of Ni/Cal. Mr. Weinman felt the Ni/Cal proved to be a cost effective way to maintain both crop quality and pH levels.

Questions or Comments: Please contact us at: J&J Agricultural Products & Services 220 South Second Street, Dillsburg, PA. 17019 Office: 717-432-4040 Fax: 717-432-4429 Toll Free: 1-877-457-4040 Email: JJSoil@verizon.net