Water from hard boiled eggs good for Tom. Plants?

AZGardener · April 4, 2015

Another random question... We just boiled eggs for Easter and I was thinking of
putting the water in my tomato plants? I put the eggshells in the plants so wouldn't the water be just as good (full of calcium?)? Looking for anyone who has done this....

Thanks guys!!

Father'sDaughter · April 4, 2015

I just read this tip somewhere yesterday. I think it was a post shared by our town Ag. Commission.

Stvrob · April 5, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by AZGardener

Another random question... We just boiled eggs for Easter and I was thinking of
putting the water in my tomato plants? I put the eggshells in the plants so wouldn't the water be just as good (full of calcium?)? Looking for anyone who has done this....

Thanks guys!!

Unless the pH of the water you boiled them in was below pH 4 or so it wont have dissolved much Ca. Solubility of calcium carbonate (which is primarily whats chicken egg shells are) decreases substantially with temperature. ie, cold water would dissolve more calcium from an egg than hot water would. My guess would be that at typical pH and hardness, the dissolved Ca content in the water after boiling eggs would be less than what would be in the water straight from the tap.

Gardeneer · April 6, 2015

To dissolve the calcium in eggshell you would need some kind of acid.
The most common acid is vinegar ( 5% acetic acid ,,pH=2.4).
The solution then will be in ionic form ( , Ca++ ...in Calcium acetate )and available to plants. Eggshell in soil will not release any calcium in a form that plants can take.

Gardeneer

AZGardener · April 6, 2015

Interesting Gardeneer. So prior to using eggshells in the garden, I was get BER, but I haven't gotten BER in years now. Coincidence or? I have always put 3-4 crushed eggshells in the hole prior to planting. As I get eggshells now, I put them in the garden for that reason too. Now I need to research this thought all over again it appears

Thanks Gardeneer!!

Stvrob · April 6, 2015

Calcium carbonate solubility decrases dramatically at high temperatures. Thats why hard water us so destructive to boilers, it precipitates out as scale.

April 4, 2015	#1
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	Water from hard boiled eggs good for Tom. Plants? Another random question... We just boiled eggs for Easter and I was thinking of putting the water in my tomato plants? I put the eggshells in the plants so wouldn't the water be just as good (full of calcium?)? Looking for anyone who has done this.... Thanks guys!! __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

April 6, 2015	#5
AZGardener Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Zone 9b Phoenix,AZ Posts: 390	Interesting Gardeneer. So prior to using eggshells in the garden, I was get BER, but I haven't gotten BER in years now. Coincidence or? I have always put 3-4 crushed eggshells in the hole prior to planting. As I get eggshells now, I put them in the garden for that reason too. Now I need to research this thought all over again it appears Thanks Gardeneer!! __________________ Kelly from Phx, AZ Toes and Tomatoes on FB

April 4, 2015	#2
Father'sDaughter Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: MA/NH Border Posts: 4,919	I just read this tip somewhere yesterday. I think it was a post shared by our town Ag. Commission.

April 6, 2015	#4
Gardeneer Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2015 Location: NC - zone 8a - heat zone 7 Posts: 4,918	To dissolve the calcium in eggshell you would need some kind of acid. The most common acid is vinegar ( 5% acetic acid ,,pH=2.4). The solution then will be in ionic form ( , Ca++ ...in Calcium acetate )and available to plants. Eggshell in soil will not release any calcium in a form that plants can take. Gardeneer

April 6, 2015	#6
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	Calcium carbonate solubility decrases dramatically at high temperatures. Thats why hard water us so destructive to boilers, it precipitates out as scale.