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[APD] sourcing calcium carbonate



You can order a 1 pound jar of CaCO3, calcium carbonate, from any
pharmacy for about $10 plus tax. That's very high grade and cheaper than
buying tablets. Tablets are difficult to grind up fine enough to
dissolve, even if you were to put them into a coffee grinder.

For another $5 you can get a 20 pound bag of CaCO3 from a pottery supply
store (see your yellow pages) as it is used in making pottery as well as
beer making. You might think you'll never use up a 20 pound bag and
you'd be right.

I supply almost all my friends by bringing 1 cup baggies of CaCO3 to
club meetings & auctions and selling it for $2. I also sell premixed
PMDD powder for the same price; all you do is add water.

You really only need to buy it if you live in an area with soft water
such as the west coast rain forest. Water from rivers or wells usually
picks up enough Ca & Mg for your plants needs if you change water once
or twice a month. Be advised that if you have the nitrogen & CO2 cranked
up, then the next nutrient you'll probably run low on will be Ca.
Potassium is easily added with either KNO3 or in the fish food. If
you're doing PMDD Mg would not run out but you might run low on calcium
because its consumed rapidly by plants, snails and can be absorbed by
peat until it becomes saturated.

Another place to buy CaCO3 would be from a chemical supply outlet
however, I expect it might be a little more expensive since small
amounts would probably be reagent grade. They would sell
agricultural/low grade only in bulk. I suppose 20 lb qualifies as bulk.
Dunno. Never had to go that route.

Low grade is just fine for our purposes.

BTW, has anybody tried to buy ammonium nitrate recently? They want to
know what you're using it for and they want ID. Just a little paranoid
huh? There are other oxidants that would work as well for explosive
purposes as I'm sure those with destructive inclinations are aware.

Steve P in sunny Vancouver awaiting another hot summer

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