C Alphos

CalPhos
This is an awesome product you can make from ingredients found in your kitchen. It is a nutrient
solution for plants just entering the flowering cycle. There is an overlapping activity of
Phosporous and Potassium during flowering. In natural farming, we apply calphos before the
flower initiation to support the eventual fruit. In simplistic terms, we use Phosphorous to address
the root system, which will enable the plant to access better water and nutrients from the soil to
support the critical changeover as manifested by flower initiation. We use Calcium to strengthen
the plant in preparation for heavy flowers/fruits. Thus, natural farming emphasizes Phosphorus
and Calcium during the changeover period from growing to flowering/fruiting, and this provides
for that need.
***For an illustrated example of this recipe, check out the farm log here. The flog has all
kinds of good stuff, sign up to get the updates via email!***
How to Make
1. Collect a bunch of eggshells and wash to remove inside filaments. Remember, you can
also use bones and other good sources of calcium like seashells, clams and oysters, etc.
Likewise, if you only want calcium, even limestone can be used, or simple lime.
2. Pan fry the eggshells. Fry until some are brown/black, some white. The burnt shells are
your Calcium source while the white are the Phosphorus source.
3. After roasting the eggshells, grind them up. You can do it manually, with a mortar and
pestle, throw them in a blender or electric coffee grinder, etc.
4. Add them to a jar and add 5 parts vinegar by volume. For example, if you have 1 cup
ground shells, add 5 cups vinegar.
o The acid in the vinegar helps digest them. You will notice bubbling as this
process converts the ingredients to liquid calcium phosphate.
5. Wait until tiny bubbles disappear
6. Seal the jar and ferment for 20 days.
7. Filter into another jar
8. Now youve made your own Calcium Phosphate
How to Use
Mix 1tbsp per gallon
Plants
spray on leaves during transition phase to flower, and when fruits are large and mature
o Transition Phase: Induces flowering, eases nutrient demands of transition phase,
strengthens flowers
Mature Fruit: Strengthens plant stems, leaves, fruits, helps fruit mature properly
for optimum sweet flavor!
Animals:
Feed to animals during breeding time and during pregnancy. Helps breeding efficacy and
litter success rates. Woohoo!
Share this:
Adelaide
January 9, 2013 at 2:22 am - Reply...
Hello there, just became aware of your blog through Google, and found that its truly
informative. Ill be grateful if you continue this in future. A lot of people will be
benefited from your writing. Cheers!
Matthew E.
June 5, 2013 at 3:20 am - Reply...
Hi Gil and PatrickCan I use organic unpasteurized apple cider vinegar at the 1:5 ratio?
It has a 5% acid ratio also. Thank you, Matthew.
o
Patrick
June 5, 2013 at 3:37 am - Reply...
Hi Matthew,
Great question yes for sure apple cider vinegar would work. In fact any acid
should work as this is an acid-base reaction. The vinegar I use is 4.5% acid ratio,
5% would work great also. I like the idea of ACV since it has lots of other
beneficial ingredients in it along with the acidity.
Cheers,
Patrick
Edward
June 19, 2013 at 5:06 pm - Reply...
hi ,thank you for the great info , in the recipe when we seal the jar and ferment 20 days
,we have to use something else to make the fermentation starts ?
greetings
Edward
o
Patrick
June 20, 2013 at 3:03 am - Reply...
No, I think this is less a microbial fermentation reaction than a chemical reaction,
although we use the term ferment there. You are allowing it time for the acid to
work on the compounds in the roasted shells, extracting your final product,
calphos. Shouldnt require anything to get it started.
Jim R.
June 25, 2013 at 9:28 pm - Reply...
Can I use crab meal? Should I use the same method and pan fry the crab meal? I like the
idea of using apple cider vinegar also. Thank you, Jim R.
o
Patrick
June 26, 2013 at 5:30 pm - Reply...
Great question Jimyou definitely can use crab meal, it should have a decent
amount of calcium in it. Just use it like you would any other calcium source. In
fact I have some crab shells from a crab feast the other day that are outside in the
roach bin getting cleaned now.
Now, crab shells are full of chitin, which is an awesome compound in its bio
available form chitosan. You know I started writing a whole post on how to
make your own chitosan but its a little tricky. Chitin is bonded with an acetyl
group which needs to be ripped off by a strong base plus heat to make chitosan.
Strong base as in 40% NaOH, pretty hardcore stuff it will burn you on contact.
Boiling a 40% NaOH solution for 4-5hrs is a little beyond a simple at-home
project, and being in a little apartment I dont have an outdoor burner to test with.
Anyway, using crab meal will be great, and whatever chitin makes it into the
soil/leaves will eventually break down into bio available forms. As always, using
BIM or compost tea will greatly accelerate this process..
Have fun! Cheers,

Patrick
sandy mccormick
July 2, 2013 at 11:46 pm - Reply...
hi, got a question for youwe sprayed a mixture of baking soda,dish detergent and water
on our tomato plantsthe next day we sprayed them with liquid calcium ( we sprayed in
the evening ) the next day the leaves were black and curled upi think there was a
chemical reactionmy husband thinks it was a funguswhat is your opinion( you seem
to know a lot about gardening any info will help..the reason we sprayed baking soda
mixture was for fungus and the calcium was for end rothelp sandy
o
Patrick
July 3, 2013 at 4:51 am - Reply...
Well, too strong a mixture of any of those ingredients is a bad thing, so first make
sure they are very diluted. If the liquid calcium is the Calphos recipe from this
site, then yes it would probably react with the baking soda, although I dont know
how much reaction there would be if it were properly diluted. Just a few
guidelines that might help make sure you dilute active ingredients a lot, and
make sure you hose down the plants between applications so you dont run the
risk of things reacting. So, you might spray with the first treatment, wait a few
days and then spray with clean water for a few days. Then after that spray with
the second treatment. That should help. You might have trouble saving the tomato
plants now but at least theres some tips for next time.
sandy mccormick
July 3, 2013 at 3:06 pm - Reply...
thanks for the infohelped a lot sandy
curious
July 26, 2013 at 2:35 pm - Reply...
>>> The burnt shells are your Calcium source while the white are the Phosphorus source.
>>>
Where is the phosphorus coming from? Are there race amounts in the eggshell? I thought
eggshells were almost all calcium carbonate.
curious
July 26, 2013 at 2:35 pm - Reply...

^^^ trace not race amounts
o
Patrick
July 29, 2013 at 6:37 am - Reply...
There is some phosphorus in egg shells, although they are about 95% calcium
carbonate. I should probably amend this recipe since egg shells are much lower in
phosphorus than other common sources youd use, bones for example.
ashok nair
August 25, 2013 at 7:02 am - Reply...
For preparing calphos you mentioned to use vinegar. Is it OK if we use Hydrocloric Acid
(HCL) instead of vinegar. Please reply.
o
Patrick
October 30, 2013 at 6:41 am - Reply...
Yep for sure Ashok no problem. You can use any acid. HCl would work great,
probably even better than vinegar since it will most likely be (depending on
dilution) more acidic.
Jay
August 26, 2013 at 11:25 am - Reply...
Big error herebaking soda will NOT provide calciumthere isnt any in it. It will
dissociate into sodium and bicarbonate in solution, which is not what you want if you
want supplemental calcium!
o
Patrick
October 30, 2013 at 7:43 am - Reply...
Thanks Jay, thats a good call not sure how that got on there Ill remove it now.
Travis Schulert
December 12, 2013 at 9:34 am - Reply...
In general, how long does the CalPhos bubble before you can cap it? When I tap on the
jar even 24 hours later I still see bubbles coming up to the surface.
o
Patrick
December 16, 2013 at 8:02 pm - Reply...
Hard to say it depends on exactly your solution-substrate ratio, but I think a few
days would do it in most cases. I usually cap it the same day then just crack the
seal periodically to let the buildup out.
Elsiehoreb
Hi Patrick, can white vinegar be used instead of ACV ? Thanks n
Blessed Christmas
o
Patrick
Oh yeah for sure anything acidic will work great!
Phil Bradshaw
December 30, 2013 at 1:11 pm - Reply...
Hi Patrick,
Ive at last gathered together enough egg-shells, plus a few mussel shells, to make my
first batch of calphos. But, instead of using vinegar, as in your recipe, I intend to use a
dilute solution of phosphoric acid.
The acid is very viscous and concentrated, & I have added 20 mils to 1 litre of (rain)
water. Do you think this will be strong enough to perform the extraction, & should I
dilute the end product more than your recommended 1 tbl spoon per gallon? (4.5 litrs)
Given the higher concentration of phosphorous?
My thinking is, that by using phosphoric acid, which I have had lying around for ages,
that this will increase the value of phosphorus in the end solution. Do you think this will
have a beneficial effect, or not?
Phil B.
o
Patrick
January 14, 2014 at 9:22 pm - Reply...
Hi Phil,
Thats a great idea using phosphoric acid. It should combine with the calcium
carbonate to form calcium phosphate, thereby being a secondary source of that
molecule.
But yes, you will have to dilute much more than 1tbsp/gal. I would start with
.25tsp or something. That 20ml phosphoric acid solution is maybe around a bit
less than 0.2M solution which will be extremely acidic (a 0.1M solution has pH
around 1.5). It should be excellent for extraction! The acidity will really bring out
the Calcium carbonate. You might test the acidity of the final solution when
youve added .25tsp of your calphos to a gallon of water, and go from there.
Hope this helps, sorry Im a little late getting back to you.
Cheers,
Patrick
Phil Bradshaw
Hi Patrick,
My table-spoon measures 12mls, so that would be 3mls per gallon at your
suggested dilution of .25tbls per gallon.(4.5ltrs?)This seems like very
little? almost an homeopathic dilution! 1-1500? But, as Ive never used it
before, & have no knowledge of the power of this stuff, I will take your
advice.
Anyway..the calphos will be ready, on the 20th,& Ill make up a batch to
the original recipe, and check both the pH & the cf. Then make a batch to
your suggested amendment, and re-check.
Should I use the end product as a spray, or could the dilution rate
suggested, be safe to use in the nutrient tank in a hydroponic situation?
Will it be safe to use this way? Or should it just be applied as a foliar
feed?
Theres absolutely no need to apologise over the late reply! You must
have many inquiries to reply to, & my concoction hasnt finished its
extraction time yet anyway. Many thanks for your help Patrick. Ill post
the results of the above tests, as & when.
Regards.
Phil B.
P.S Happy New Year!
Patrick
Hi Phil,
Thats great youre testing in various quantities! I was hoping
youd try that. If you can test the pH after you add 1/4tbsp vs 1tbsp
that would be great. I just wanted to play it safe since I think that
stuff will be quite acidic.
I think it would work fine in the hydro situation as long as 1) the
pH isnt too low and 2) you strain all the solids out so it doesnt
clog anything if ever..
If you didnt test it Id say stick to the foliar feed to be safe, but
since you can test it, play around with it and let us know how it
goes! Just use this like the first week or two of flower, or when you
start seeing buds forming. Its really for that changeover period
(grow-bloom), meant to help the changeover immensely.
Cheers,
Patrick
Ricardo
Hi there, I have a doubt. In the recipe Gil says egg shells, but then, when responding to
curious you said eggshells are no good, using bones would be better, and that the recipe
has to be changeg. So, which materials would be the best in order to get the best calphos?
Thanks a lot!
o
Patrick
The Phosphorus content of eggshells is still a boon to flowering plants, I decided
to leave the recipe as-is. If you want more phosphorus though you can look at
other calphos sources like bones.
Pradeep
Hi Patrick,
Would it be a problem to use citric acid (just squeezed out of lemon/orange etc) instead
of vinegar? I saw you mentioned that any acid would do, but just wondering if this low
acidic extract of lemons works
THanks.
o
Patrick
I dont think it would be a problem at all. Lemon juice is quite acidic actually
(you can test this by biting it sour much?), so it should work great as a substitute
for vinegar. Go for it! If ever you are using weaker acids, like orange juice, just
use a little more relative to your calphos source(eggshell, clamshell, etc).
Phil Bradshaw
Hi again Patrick,
Thank you very much for your advice, and I most certainly will let you know how things
work out. I am quite meticulous, and prefer to do things on on a scientific basis, so that
if something succeeds, then it can be repeated.
Best Wishes
Phil Bradshaw.
Dan
Does it matter much with the time of the extraction process? Ive left mine (did egg
shells) in the jar for for way over a month now, maybe two monthsalso would you
spray the plant daily or would this be overkill, and would you stop spraying once
flowers/fruits start forming then leave it till the last couple weeks then start spraying them
again?
Sorry if youve answered these questions before.
Max
Would it be beneficial to ad the calphos to the fish hydrolysate? How much would you
add. Would dilution rates be different for application?
o
Patrick
Hey Max,
Thats a little complicated since these two have different application rates.. I
guess you could mix calphos 1:2 with fish fertilizer, and then apply those at 2 tbsp
per gallon. The calphos is really for the transition to flower though, when you
dont need to add as much nitrogen source like fish fertilizer. But if youre
inclined, go for it! I know plenty of folks who apply light nitrogen fertilizer from
start to finish!
Patrick
Marty Baecker
Thank you so much for all your tips regarding putting to use the natural farming method.
All the answered questions are very helpful.
I do have one question to add to the mix. When dealing with eggshells (above) or bones
,,,,, what is the exact purpose of charring? Is it just a method to clean whatever leftover
organic material off OR does it do something chemically to the materials? When I add
vinegar to clean un-charred eggshells they fize all the same.
If the charring is necessary for bones,,,,,can you suggest more than one process to do this
and to what endpoint? My wife wont let me stink up the house using the stovetop or
oven and do not have a gas grill.
Thanks or you help in advance!
o
Patrick
February 4, 2014 at 9:53 am - Reply...
Hi Marty, thanks for joining use here! Charring is needed for proper calphos
production if you want both ingredients. The combustion does modify the
substrate (bones/shells) chemically. You know I dug into this early on when Gil
taught me the recipe but that was so long ago now I forget even which articles to
point you toId stick with charring them though. Just char until brown. More
brown actually liberates more calcium, so more charring leads to higher calcium
product vs less charring up to you what you want.
Especially for bones, charring is great. Id break them up as much as possible
first. Or, make a fire and throw them in whole if youre doing it outside. Let them
char in the fire and use whats left later. Hope this helps!
Patrick
Gaston
Hi Patrick
With regards to eggshells containing 5% phosphorus and bones containing more I was
wondering if adding a little bit of rock phosphate, in very small quantity, would boost the
phosphate levels. Meaning: I wonder if the acetic acid would actually break it down?
Thanks in advance.
Gaston
o
Patrick
I think rock phosphate would be a great addition! But, Im not sure how acetic
acid would interact with it depends on the rock phosphate type and strength of
the acid. Try adding the rock phosphate to the vinegar first or separately. If it
doesnt react much with the vinegar, you can just use that to break down the
eggshells. If it does, youll likely have to do them separate since there wont be
the acetic acid present to break down the calcium in the eggshells at that point.
Try and tell us!
Gaston
February 5, 2014 at 11:08 pm - Reply...
Thanks a lot Patrick.
Well, I had to try it and when I went to the garage to fetch a little pelletized rock
phosphate I was very pleased to learn reading the box that this product contains 6%
phosphoric acid and 27% calcium. Interesting I thought. Of course I had to try. I added a
5% acetic acid solution 5:1, to powdered RP and.. I got a reaction. So I suppose Ill just
keep going and, well, I guess Ill have to wait for some time since I live in Alberta,
Canada and its sort of -20C outside right now. Now much in the way of transition to
flowering happening for some time, but it may work. Would you say?
Anyhow, loads of fun. Thanks again
o
Gaston
Now that I think of it its around the same phosphate ratio as egg shells, except
there is more calcium in the shells and the reaction is definitely more violent with
egg shells. I am thinking there is a reason Gil uses eggs shells as you can control
how many you burn and therefore play with the ratios but oh well, its worth
trying anyhow
Patrick
Hey Gaston,
Ha, well that is a fun experiment anyway! Yeah, I really like using a
whole mix of shells for this application mussels, clams, eggs, bones, etc.
I think its the best approach, but mixing in something like rock phosphate
should be great as well! Well, stay warm haha and look forward to spring.
By the way have you tried indoor growing? Hydroponics? Its pretty fun
stuff! You can always try that during the long cold winter there in Alberta
(Ive experienced it fort mcmurray, thats right COLD)..
Cheers,
Patrick
Joseph
Hi Patrick,
I have done my CalPhos as per your recipe. Would it be ok for me to add some epsom
salt (Magnesium sulfate) to CalPhos as to have 3 elements instead of 2 elements. Please
advise many tbsp of epsom salt should I mix to 1 liter of CalPhos?
Thank you.
Regards,
Joseph
o
Patrick
Hi Joseph,
That is a great idea but I cant really comment hahaThe chemistry there starts to
get interesting, and Im not sure how the ions will interact when they are all
mixed up like that. Try adding epsom salt and see if there is a reaction (bubbles,
fizzing, heating up, cooling down, etc). Even if you dont see anything noticeable
there could be a reaction so I would be cautious. If you want to try, I would start
with a tiny bit, a pinch, and work up from there.
Thanks,
Patrick
Joseph
Hi Pat,
Have tried your suggestion with a pinch of epsom salt to calphos. The
calphos became a bit cloudy in color compare to before mixing with
epsom salt and seems a bit cooling down.
Will it affect the effectiveness of the calphos? or is it normal? possible to
consult to Gil if it is ok to add epsom salt to caphos. Thank you in
advance.
Regards,
Joseph
Patrick
Ok I will ask Gil about it. Try looking up the reaction between
magnesium sulfate and calcium phosphate, might tell you
something about what happened.
Not sure how it affected the solution but will talk to Gil about it
next time I talk to him.
Cheers,
Patrick
Linda
Hi Patrick,
I am so thrilled to find your website! This week I boiled some bones. Then put them in
the oven for several hours and they became dark honey colored. Our wood stove was
burning low (its cold here in the northeast US), so I then wrapped the bones in aluminum
foil and placed them above the coals. Now they are all black. Is this going to give me
Calcium but no phosphorus? I had heard that bone char is for phosphorus, but after
reading these posts, maybe Im wrong.
o
Patrick
March 3, 2014 at 7:57 am - Reply...
Hi Linda,
Thats great you found our site, glad to have you on board! In regards to your
question, it should still give phosphorus, but the charred bits should also yield
calcium in the acid bath youll do (vinegar or other acid). If you are worried,
dont char it quite as much next time, and then use the solutions together..
Cheers,
Patrick
Eddie
March 5, 2014 at 10:31 am - Reply...
I want to thanks you guys for this site. It has inspired me to go 100% organic!
I was wondering if anyone has tried deer antler for a source of cal/phos. Isnt antler the
fastest growing bone? I would assume it might be a great source.
o
Patrick
March 10, 2014 at 9:16 pm - Reply...
Wow, interesting idea Eddie, do it! try to break it up as much as possible first.
Use a hammer or something and crush it up some.
Thanks for the positive feedback, glad we could help you choose organic.
Alja
March 7, 2014 at 12:29 am - Reply...
It is known that plants in flowering/fruiting stage need potassium, phosphourous and
calcium.
In your recipe in the intro part it is writen: There is an overlapping activity of
Phosporous and Potassium during flowering.
Can you please elaborate on this one, i dont really understand what it means?
It get a bit confused, because you forget about Potassium from here on and start talking
about Phosporous and Calcium only.
In the end its phospourous turns into phospate me and chemistry are strangers, im a
bit mixed up.
Thanks in advance!!!
o
Patrick
March 10, 2014 at 9:26 pm - Reply...
Hi Aljaz,
The interaction of Phosphorus and Potassium during flowering is a large topic
thats outside the scope of a comment here. Suffice it to say your plants need both
elements during flowering. I didnt elaborate on that because the recipe is for
Calcium and Phosphorus, not Potassium. Thats why I started talking about them
exclusively.
Calcium acetate, produced when adding the vinegar, binds phosphorus which I
then refer to as calcium phosphate, although this may be a bit of a misnomer, it
works to get the point across they are bound and transported together to your
plants and soil.
Cheers,
Patrick
arnie
March 26, 2014 at 11:35 pm - Reply...
can I use guano?
o
Patrick
April 9, 2014 at 11:39 pm - Reply...
Hi Arnie,
Im not sure how youd use guano here, Im not sure the vinegar would have any
effect on it, or the desired effect anyway.
Cheers,
Patrick
anne
April 14, 2014 at 2:59 am - Reply...

HI sir, your blog is so informative!thanks so much!permission to share it!
o
Patrick
May 6, 2014 at 8:53 pm - Reply...
Thanks Anne!
giorgos
April 14, 2014 at 5:16 am - Reply...
hi i found gils recipe while searching for a good fish hydrolysate and i love them all
planing to use most of em i have some questions
what vinegard is the best, (i can get some homemade red) do the roots cells have
problems from alchohol? i think no cos of the concentretion that is to low but i have to
ask.
what Calcium phosphate form is in the product?
whats the ratio of Calcium phosphate in the product, can you manipulate the outcome
when you fry the egg shells? can i use snail shells for diferent form of calcium or for a
diferent recipe with vinegard, what can i use to rise the phosphorus content?
ty keep up the good work
o
Patrick
May 6, 2014 at 9:37 pm - Reply...
Hey Giorgos,
Sorry for the late reply, glad youre enjoying our site though! regarding your
questions:
- any vinegar works, hard to say which is best, but if you can get good natural
vinegar that would be great! Apple cider vinegar is great, in the Phils coconut
vinegar works well, you get the idea
- no worries at this application rate, there shouldnt be alcohol content in the
calphos, and the acid/base reaction creates a fairly neutral solution.
- If I remember the details correctly, calcium acetate ions bind phosphorus for
transport to plants.
- calcium phosphorus ratios depend on how much you burn the shells. More
burning means more calcium. Also depend on ingredients. e.g. bones have much
more phosphorus than shells.
- yep, snail shells would work great.
- yep, you can add things, like rock phosphate, to help increase P content.
that should cover it. Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Patrick
Big Ray
May 5, 2014 at 11:22 pm - Reply...
Hey Patrick
I went to your Farm Log and read about your clam and shrimp shells the roaches didnt
eat. You mention the benefits of chitin in the shrimp shells. We always have shrimp, crab
and crawfish shells readily available here in SE Louisiana. Should I roast the crustacean
shells also? I know this recipe is calPHOS. However, does this recipe in fact have a
significant amount of potassium? If I were using superphosphate or triple
superphosphate, I could easily harm my plants by over-doing it. Is there a possibility that
I can over-shrimp my soil so-to-speak?
o
Patrick
May 6, 2014 at 11:26 pm - Reply...
Hey Big Ray!
Nope, shouldnt be a problem, it should be pretty tough to overdue it with chitin.
You can include those shells in your calphos, I always do. Potassium content
depends on your ingredients, not sure though if its significant.
If you have lots of those shells you should make chitosan! Im still working on the
recipe, its a little involved and less natural since it requires lyeBut its a
great input for the garden so well see.
cheers,
Patrick
Tom M
June 1, 2014 at 9:58 am - Reply...
Hello Patrick, I am preparing to make some CalPhos soon and do have a question. You
mention pan fry then later you mention roasting. My question is which do you
recommend or did you actually do both? I bake egg shells on a regular basis but never
have cooked them til they blackened. I grind them in a blender then feed them back to the
chickens with their fermented grains. I greatly appreciate you sharing your knowledge
and experiences with us via your website.
o
Patrick
July 2, 2014 at 10:42 pm - Reply...

Hey Tom thanks for coming by, sorry for the late reply. yeah thats a little
misleading, I just pan fry them until they are brown/black, get more calcium out
of them that way.
Grinding and mixing with food is an excellent practice! Nice one..
Tom M
July 3, 2014 at 5:10 am - Reply...
Hey Patrick,
I made a batch of CalPhos and yesterday was the 20th day so I filtered it
off into another jar. About half way through the ferment, a scoby began
growing on the surface. Is this good? bad? what to do with it now?
Regards,
Tom
Tom M
June 2, 2014 at 7:38 am - Reply...
disregard my question. I found my answer. ty
Big Ray
June 19, 2014 at 1:58 am - Reply...
Hey Again Patrick
Id still like to make some chitosan. Lye is no big concern for me. I worked for over 29
years on a refinery unit that used nearly pure hydrofluoric acid, 24 baume caustic, KOH
and some pretty high strength sulfuric acid. In all those years of handling those products,
I was never burned once. Because I was fully aware of the potential hazards and took the
necessary precautions.
Here are some confusing procedures I found on e-How;
Instructions
1 Extract chitin from your shellfish by diluting your shell in 10 percent sodium hydroxide
and heat to 80 to 100 degrees. This will make the shell water-soluble. Chitin is a mineral
compound found in the shell. Once it is soaked and heated it will look like fine grains,
identifiable under a microscope.
2 Remove the calcium carbonate by allowing the chitin to soak in a petri dish of 1 percent
hydrochloric acid at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Calcium carbonate will
dissolve completely, leaving behind the chitin.
HOW DO I SEPARATE THE CALCIUM CARBONATE FROM THE CHITIN? CAN I
USE A LARGER CONTAINER THAN A PETRI DISH?
3 Dissolve your chitin in less than 40 percent sodium hydroxide. Heat to a temperature of
90 to 120 degrees with a bunsun burner. This removes 65 percent of the acetylic
groupings to allow them to dissolve during preparation, forming the chitin into chitosan.
HOW ARE THE ACETYLIC GROUPINGS REMOVED? DO THEY VAPORIZE
OFF? IF THEY JUST DISSOLVE, ARE THEY NOW PART OF CHITOSAN AND
CAN BE ALLOWED TO STAY IN SOLUTION?
4 Mix chitosan with deionized water, matching the weight to the amount of water
required. This will neutralize the chitosan and prepare it for use. When using chitosan for
makeup production, do not weaken with sodium hydroxide.
AFTER STEP 3 I SHOULD HAVE CHITOSAN. WHAT FORM WILL IT BE IN?
POWDER? GRAINS? LIQUID?
IS THIS 1:1 RATIO CHITOSAN-TO-DEIONIZED WATER THE RATIO I WILL ADD
TO MY SOIL/CAL PHOS?
o
Patrick
July 11, 2014 at 4:50 am - Reply...
Hey Big Ray!
I researched chitosan quite a bit after we talked and made a recipe for it (thats
clearer than that eHow article, haha). I spent a lot of time on it and I was excited
to put it out as our newest recipe, but I havent posted it on the site. There are a
few reasons for this I hope to get your feedback on:
- It involves treating with chemicals (NaOH), so its not really a natural recipe,
which gets away from our intentions a bit here on TUF..
- Im a little worried about getting people into trouble with the harsh chemicals.
Im a full believer in accountability, and that if youre warned and you still screw
up, then youre accountable for it but you know, I dunno
- And the biggest one: While its undeniable that Chitosan is an awesome
molecule for plants boosting immunities to disease and pests, increasing growth
and vitality, etc it still hasnt been researched well and there are a ton of
variations whose effects arent well understood. chitosan as a molecule takes
many forms, and its various forms can have very different effects. Also, I found
an article showing that an infinitesimal amount added to water containing Trout (a
species of fish, for those reading) kills them clogs the gills and basically
suffocates them. So what about the runoff water? And what is the effect in the
human lung of a foliar spray homemade chitosan solution? Chitosan has a ton of
medical applications its being used for, but in a very controlled way..
So, I was thinking about publishing the recipe with a lot of warnings, and
prescribing it for use ONLY as a seed treatment add it to your water you soak
seeds in before planting. But even still, Ive held off publishing it. What do you
think? Id love to get your feedback.
Regarding your questions, Ill send you my recipe and some of the documentation
that I found helpful and saved. If anyone else reading is interested, you can use
the contact form to email me and Ill send on the info. Just not sure about making
it widely available yet.
Cheers Big Ray! Love the discussion chitosan is super exciting stuff!
Patrick

C Alphos

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Have fun! Cheers,

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