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Eggshell Water-Soluble Calcium, Bone Char Calcium Phosphate

February 19, 2023 · by Drake Weinert

Drake opens with a question about Masanobu Fukuoka, author of One Straw Revolution. He says he does not think Master Cho and Fukuoka ever met, though both studied natural farming in Japan and share a similar philosophy: less intervention, more attention to natural cycles.

Most of the episode covers Master Cho's two calcium presentations. Calcium phosphate (WCP, or knfStructure) is made from burned bone and covers pyrophosphates and bone-burning method. Water-soluble calcium (WCA, or knfReproduction) is made from eggshells: toast about three dozen crushed eggshells just below smoking, 15 to 20 minutes, until they look like a toasted marshmallow, then winnow off the membranes. Mix one part toasted eggshell to ten parts brown rice vinegar by weight, let it dissolve about a week (Drake says three to four days in practice), then filter and store.

Drake lists deficiency symptoms: underdeveloped roots, leaves that brown and dry out, empty pods, watery or bland fruit, and root vegetables that turn pithy and hollow. For use, dilute WCA at one part to 1000 parts water and spray it on leaves during the shift from vegetative to fruiting growth. He also answers questions on ostrich eggs, eggshell storage, and using soap like Dr. Bronner's as a foliar surfactant.

Questions answered

  • 14:19 Did Master Cho ever meet Fukuoka, author of One Straw Revolution? — Drake doesn't think so, but says their farming philosophies are very similar.
  • 46:21 How do you know if your plants need calcium? — Fruit that doesn't fill out and leaves that turn brownish and dry out are signs of calcium deficiency.
  • 49:33 What is the full water-soluble calcium (WCA) recipe? — Toast crushed eggshells until marshmallow-brown, winnow off the membranes, then mix with brown rice vinegar and let it dissolve about a week.
  • 48:51 Is there an egg-to-vinegar ratio for water-soluble calcium? — Yes, one part toasted eggshell to ten parts brown rice vinegar by weight.
  • 52:15 Can I use an ostrich egg instead of chicken eggs? — Yes, one or two ostrich eggs is enough for a whole five-gallon jar.
  • 56:06 What are the symptoms of calcium deficiency in plants? — Underdeveloped roots, browning leaves, empty pods, watery or bland fruit, and pithy, hollow root vegetables.
  • 1:03:38 How do you dilute water-soluble calcium for spraying? — Basic dilution is one part calcium solution to 1000 parts water.
  • 1:05:53 How do you store your eggshells before use? — Drake keeps them in a bag; he says they don't rot badly.
  • 1:06:06 Any advice on surfactants for foliar spraying? — Use soap if you need a surfactant, like Dr. Bronner's, though Drake usually skips it.

Topics: wca, wcp, eggshells, brown rice vinegar, calcium deficiency, fukuoka, foliar spray, surfactant, bone char, ostrich egg

KNF Office Hours is a free live Q&A every Sunday at 9 AM HST. Bring your question to pureknf.org/learn/questions or join live.

In this episode

  1. 0:00 Countdown
  2. 3:23 Intro and welcome
  3. 4:54 I Ching reading: Holding Together (Union)
  4. 9:22 KNF Office Hour Shorts on YouTube
  5. 13:53 Origin of Master Cho's KNF
  6. 15:20 Fukuoka's methods and One Straw Revolution
  7. 18:13 Applying IMO over mulch, building soil
  8. 20:10 Water-soluble calcium phosphate (WCP) recipe slideshow
  9. 25:00 Pyrophosphates and marrow in the bones
  10. 28:55 Burning bones for calcium phosphate
  11. 32:57 Dissolving bones with sulfuric acid?
  12. 35:13 Cho's literature on calcium phosphate, how to use it
  13. 41:03 Making LAB from brown rice
  14. 42:36 Calcium's role in KNF, signs you need it
  15. 47:24 Water-soluble calcium (WCA) recipe start to finish
  16. 53:14 Chemistry and symptoms of calcium deficiency
  17. 1:01:20 Toasting and prepping eggshells for WCA
  18. 1:04:09 Using WCA to boost plant health and fruit taste
  19. 1:05:53 Storing eggshells, foliar surfactants
  20. 1:10:50 Sign-off

Transcript

Auto-transcribed with Whisper. Click any timestamp to play from there.

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