[Latin Name]  Pinus pinaster.

[Specification] OPC ≥ 95%

[Appearance] Red brown fine powder

Plant Part Used: Bark

[Particle size] 80Mesh

[Loss on drying] ≤5.0%

[Heavy Metal] ≤10PPM

[Storage] Store in cool & dry area, keep away from the direct light and heat.

[Shelf life] 24 Months

[Package] Packed in paper-drums and two plastic-bags inside.

[Net weight] 25kgs/drum

[What is Pine bark?]

Pine bark, botanical name Pinus pinaster, is a maritime pine native to southwest France that also grows in countries along the western Mediterranean.  Pine bark contains a number of beneficial compounds that are extracted from the bark in a way that doesn’t destroy or damage the tree.

[How does it work?]

What gives pine bark extract its notoriety as a powerful ingredient and super antioxidant is that it’s loaded with oligomeric proanthocyanidin compounds, OPCs for short. The same ingredient can be found in grape seeds, the skin of peanuts and witch hazel bark. But what makes this miracle ingredient so amazing?

While OPCs found in this extract are mostly known for their antioxidant-producing benefits, these amazing compounds exude antibacterial, antiviral, anticarcinogenic, anti-aging, anti-inflammatory and anti-allergic properties. Pine bark extract can help reduce muscle soreness and may help improve conditions relating to poor circulation, high blood pressure, osteoarthritis, diabetes, ADHD, female reproductive issues, skin, erectile dysfunction, eye disease and sports stamina.

Seems like it must be pretty amazing, but let’s look closer. The list goes on a bit further, as the OPCs in this extract may “inhibit lipid peroxidation, platelet aggregation, capillary permeability and fragility, and to affect enzyme systems,” which basically means it may be a natural treatment for many serious health conditions, such as stroke and heart disease.

[Function]

1. Lowers Glucose Levels, Improving Diabetic Symptoms
2. Helps Prevent Hearing Loss and Balance
3. Staves Off Infections
4. Protects the Skin from Ultraviolet Exposure
5. Decreases Erectile Dysfunction
6. Reduces Inflammation
7.  Helps Increase Athletic Performance

Shows the progression of calcium deficiency in hot pepper plants like the chocolate habanero. Planted from seed, the soil had enough calcium at first and when the plant ran out it started to put out deformed growth with twisted, curled and puckered leaves.
The solution was to add 10ml/gallon of botanicare’s cal mag fertilizer supplement: https://www.botanicare.net/supplements/cal-mag In less than a week new leaves appeared without any deformities.
Note that the pepper plants were started from seed in bagged potting soil and in this video they are shown 2 days after transplanting to a coir fiber / rockwool cube mixture. Through out the life of the plants Genesis nutrients parts M & 1 were used at 800ppm but apparently genesis’s formulation expects a certain level of calcium magnesium in it. For plants with a high cal mag requirement supplementation may be needed. Note also I could have bumped the fertilizer concentration up to 1600ppm rather than supplement with botanicare but I do not know if that would have worked as well. Note: if you are using a one part fertilizer you WILL have calcium deficiencies unless there is enough in the soil.

Wiki article on calcium deficiency: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calcium_deficiency_%28plant_disorder%29

“…very rarely due to calcium deficiency in the soil. The problem is in transport of calcium from the soil to the fruit. Soil temperature, water saturation of the soil (oxygen etc), and high levels of nitrogen= high vegetative growth all contribute. ” https://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/pepper/msg0413031513506.html
Tricks for growing peppers: CALCIUM CALCIUM CALCIUM. The mild 800ppm genesis formula I was using only supplied 50ppm of calcium and peppers need 160-200ppm. Even with the supplement it was only 130PPM! Of course, this is assuming there is no calcium in your water. I am going to bump up the nutes to make sure I hit at least 160ppm calcium and also make sure I get the pH right by checking with pHydrion paper. (Ebay pH roll and pick one in the 5.5-8.0 range)
Note is this had happened during fruiting it would have resulted in blossom end rot so i am happy to find it out early and correct it.
Will post an update when the results come in!
Note calcium can also be locked out by using a fertilizer too high in ammoniacal nitrogen. ammoniacal nitrogen makes your plants grow fast in high light environments and is common in most nutrient formulas like miracle grow. Look for nitrate nitrogen only formula or one with low ammonium nitrate.
As far as NPK ratios, what you are looking for is 1.5 times as much K as N and for the nitrogen and calcium ppm to be about equal. To increase the potassium to meet the 1:1.5 N to K ratio I used Pro-Tekt silicon supplement which provided about 13ppm of K with 5ml/1tsp.
Forget about the P, as long as there is some it isn’t important.
pH balance to 6.0-6.5 and you are all good. Add 10ml of hygrozyme if you really want to see explosive root growth.
Even after all of this if your starting water has a lot of calcium carbonate (the form found in Tums which is also not a form you plants can absorb) in it that will “lock out” the proper forms of calcium that you added via supplement. So if all else fails (or you want to get it right the first time) use rainwater or purified water to start with.
DO NOT USE TUMS! Its Calcium Carbonate is not bio-available to the plant will LOCK OUT the other forms of calcium that would otherwise be available. More info on Calcium: https://www.maximumyield.com/article_sh_db.php?articleID=447&yearVar=2009&issueVar=June

Here is a link to a helpful article on pepper fertilization https://www.agnet.org/library/eb/441/

Update: they look GREAT but all my flowers are dropping except with the college pepper. I need to look into nute lockout and adjust the pH to 5.8-6.2 as I did have it closer to 5.5 before but I doubt that is the issue.

Want to make your own? Cal-Mag is just calcium nitrate + magnesium nitrite + a pinch of chelated iron edta. A POUND of caldium nitrate will make about FOUR GALLONS of concentrate equivalent to the Cal-Mag commercial version. As far as mixing weights and measures, you are on your own.

If this info helped you, more updates are comming for this growing season, subscribe here: https://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=pabbana

this new product looks interesting, not sure how it works and may not be available in your state: https://www.supercroppers.com/products/caos-10-5-calcium-1-liter/

Pumpkins, as we all know, are common across different Indian recipes. Cook it in a different way and this pulpy, sweet vegetable can go from being a regular home made ingredient to an absolute culinary delight!! So, keep watching as Seema guides you through the recipe for White Pumpkin!!

Ingredients:
1 white pumpkin, elbow sized
3 large tomatoes, sliced
1 ½ onions, sliced
2 tbsp oil for cooking
2 tbsp fresh cream
Jeera ( cumin seeds )
Green chillies
1 tsp haldi powder ( turmeric powder )
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves for garnishing
½ cup water

Learn the recipe for pumpkin soup here:

Know how to make pumpkin dal here:

Follow us on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Indiafoodnetwork?ref=ts&fref=ts

Follow us on Twitter:
@infoodnetwork