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Egg shell use in the garden #837092

Asked June 22, 2023, 6:39 PM EDT

What's the best way to make the calcium from egg shells available for plant nutrition? We've typically just crushed them before putting them into our compost bin, but have read of a technique to create a solution of calcium using vinegar to break it from the carbonate. It is purported to make the calcium immediately available since it is in an ionic form in the solution, rather than bound up as a carbonate.

Linn County Oregon

Expert Response


Thanks for contacting Ask Extension with your very interesting question.

I did some research and found an article from College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, Cooperative Extension Service, Hilo, HI (Dated December 2013) Page two includes a step by step process to produce water soluble calcium.  Note that this was used as a foliar spray. 

https://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/sa-10.pdf

I also found a March 28, 2013 article from University of Illinois Extension that discusses how to  creates a calcium solution without using vinegar:  Here is an exercpt. "Another trick is to boil 10 to 20 eggshells and then let the concoction sit overnight. The next day strain the eggshells out of the water, and you have liquid calcium solution. Each eggshell adds four milligrams of calcium. Two cups of the solution per plant should be adequate. Apply about every two weeks. (Gillman, 2008)""

https://extension.illinois.edu/blogs/good-growing/2018-03-28-using-eggshells-garden-and-compost

Happy Gardening 


Deb K Replied June 22, 2023, 9:23 PM EDT

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