Macro Minerals

Macro Minerals:

They come in many different forms:

Highly Soluble: These are called technical grade, and can be used in hydroponics, foliar applications or where ever a quick nutrient release is require. These are often sulphate and nitrate forms with names like Calcium Nitrate Tetrahydrate, Magnesium Nitrate Hexahydrate. So to keep it simple we use the term technical grade. These can also come in liquid forms for ease of use, to add to spray tanks.

Example: Magnesium Sulphate technical grade.  

There is also another group within highly Soluble, which are often granular products suited only to soil application, but also come in powdered forms for some products. They are designed to be slower to dissolve but they are still soluble. They will often have Granule added after the name rather than technical grade

Example: Gypsum (Calcium Carbonate) or Potassium Sulphate Granules

Slow Release Minerals. These are often carbonate forms of minerals, like magnesium carbonate and Calcium carbonate that also come as Dolomite or separately as Lime and Magnesite. Soft Rock Phosphate is another example and they all have one thing in common is this are mined minerals with no real processing to increase their solubility, The are ideal for raising the Base Saturations. Something the more soluble minerals simply will to achieve. 

Example: Lime (Calcium Carbonate)

The application rates for all these forms of Macro Minerals vary enormously, from 10-20 kg for soluble forms of Magnesium Sulphate to 4000 kg/ha for Lime 

Biological Effects: 

All these fertiliser products are best applied with some form of carbon to buffer the soil life biology assault that these fertilisers can cause. They all have max biological rates that should be applied at any one application to lower this negative. The more soluble sulphate forms need to use Fulvic Acid and the Slow Release generally use a Soluble Humate Granule design for this purpose. The use of these carbon inputs dramatically improves the results from any fertiliser input, so should always be considered for any application.