Egg Shells: Uses, Benefits, Learnings?

Egg shells have come up in thread conversations more than several times while I've been a member here at DavesGarden. I'm beginning to wonder what I don't know about eggs, egg shells and the many ways they can be used in gardening.

My first learning was that egg shells scattered around seedlings might help deter the slugs from eating the new sprouts.

More recently, there's been talk of using egg shells to use as a seed starting container. Very clever, eh?

Aotearoa educated us on the use of egg shells in worm composting with the following,

"What are egg shells made of?

The main ingredient in eggshells is calcium carbonate (CaCO3), the same brittle white stuff that chalk, limestone, cave stalactites, sea shells, coral, and pearls are made of.

The shell itself is about 95% CaCO3, which is also the main ingredient in sea shells. The remaining 5% includes calcium phosphate and magnesium carbonate and soluble and insoluble proteins. The micro minerals are helpful in optimizing cation exchange that assists in uptake of nutrition by plants.

The proteins don't matter, as your plants will not absorb them.

After soaking the shells overnight to dissolve away the albumin and other membrane (animal protein), I crush them up and put them in my worm bin. They seem to be both eaten by the wigglers and dissolve over time.

I have never tried to put egg shells directly into my garden."

So, what I am wondering, is whether or not it's a good idea to add crumbled egg shells directly to my garden bed?

Also, what other uses are there for egg shells or eggs in gardening? What is everyone doing with their egg shells? I feel like there's just more that I should know.

Hmmm...right off the top of my head I've put them in the compost many times. Have also fed them back to the chickens. Altho I haven't done it I know folks who put them in their planting holes where tomatoes and peppers are going in. And, like you said above, around hostas and such as a slug barrier.

Only time I've used them as seedling starters was way back in 3rd grade.

There is a man here who raises many many chickens...as a sideline he sells composted manure and it is LOADED with eggshells...'tis some of the best stuff around.

The only way that anything in the soil, applied to soil, sprayed on plants, can provide any nutritive value to plants is if it is in total solution, dissolved in water to the molecular level.

A plant will not absorb anything directly from an eggshell, or, let's say, a powdered fertilized mixed into the soil.

These substances must be fully dissolved so that the molecules can be absorbed through the membranes of root cells via a process called cation exchange. This helps to explain the efficiency of hydroponic plant culture.

I would speculate that the nutrient materials present in egg shells leach out when the shells are exposed to water. Probably, the more finely they are ground up (increasing surface area), the more efficiently the nutrients leach out.

I choose to pass my eggshells through worms, therefore making the nutrients more available to the plants when they are finally applied to my garden beds.

Perhaps egg shells in their whole or ground state could be thought of as time~release soil ammendments?

Adam.
PS: I'm flattered that you think my post is worthwhile, and I'm very pleased to see interest in this aspect of gardening.

Thanks, Shoe & Adam! I think I am beginning to understand the benefits much better. Especially with the "cation exchange" explanation (just don't ask me to recall that particular process by name ~ lol). And, Shoe, it sounds like that may be at least one reason why the chicken farmer's manure is so good!

Gotta go find a local chicken farmer now :)

P.S. If I do remember "cation", it will be a great Scrabble word! DH didn't believe my "conifer" word the other day :) And, I got to use all seven letters!!!

Thanks again to you both :=>

HAH! A scrabble player eh! DO ya'll have to pronounce the words out loud? (Cus for years I pronounce "cation" as "ka-shun", only to find out later it was pronounced "kat-ion".) (don't want you to lose points!)

As for the particular process mentioned, just picture everything needing to be moved in a soluble form (liquid) in order for plants to lap it up. The eggshells, for example, may still be in a solid form but yet the "goodies" contained it them (calcium, minerals, etc) can leach out into the liquid so the plants can use them (and leaving the "skeleton" behind, in this case the eggshell). Eventually the solid eggshell itself will break down completely and offer more of itself and any remaining goodies it may harbor. Way cool, eh? eh??

Yes ~ way cool :) Wish it were that way for everything so I could make my soil my compost pile and not have to have a separate one (which I don't yet).

We're not too picky on pronunciation/spelling now a days. We're just happy to have our DS interested in playing with us and he teaches us just as much ~ it's amazing!

Just got done replying to this in the 'Garden Talk' forum.

http://davesgarden.com/t/375568/

morph, i throw my eggshells directly in my garden bed. i also make a garden shake with the eggshells and kitchen scraps. i dump everything in the blender with the water from boiling veggies and blend it unil smooth. as i have lots of worms in m garden(which comes handy for fishing time!) everything gets used up pronto.

Morph, you could always try trench composting. Basically dig a trench in your garden, throw your scraps in there and cover them each day. Eventually you'll have the whole row cover in and ready to roll.

Great idea, nicksgrammy!!! I love that :)

Shoe, if I try the trench composting, do I do that for a period of time before using it to garden? Or, can I still have my plants growing there separated a bit from the trench?

Coco, I'm going to check you hyperlink now ~ thanks! I did a search before I posted this thread, but didn't find anything right off the bat. Thanks for the link!

Morph...depending on the time of the year will help decide when to plant. You can dig the trench (either by hand or tiller/tractor), then fill it in as you go, and cover. If you have a tiller or the like when you've gotten to the end of the row you can mix it all in with that. If the weather/ground is warm the stuff will decompose pretty quick, altho I wouldn't recommend growing below-ground crops right away.
If your trench is filled, yes, you can either start another row, or grow your crops in the next row over. If the "next row over" is really close to the compost trench I wouldn't recommend growing below-ground crops (root crops) untill the compost is fully decomposed, just to be sure that undesirable bacteria and/or parasites are not still present in the soil. (And by the way, just like in a compost bin, NO MEAT SCRAPS.)

Thanks, Shoe! I owe you one for the great details on this! You know I'm just in my second year and so my questions begin to really kick in after I learned some things the hard way last year. Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions and give great explanations :)

Your welcome. And thank you for the thank you!

Ain't it grand to be at DG? Everybody gets to learn something here. Everybody!

LOL! Yep, and not feel stupid 'bout asking either ~ that's my favorite part :)

You guys are totally right about this. It's why I adore this site.

I started gardening less than a year ago, knowing a little bit about chemistry and biology and having and in~house scientist (my wife) providing real~time commentary over my shoulder.

Now, that's all well and good..., technical knowledge can help a lot. However, practical wisdom turns technical knowledge into gold. And that's what I have found here at DG.

Every time I log on, someone teaches me something. Or I'll read a story that touches my heart and brightens my day.

It's really quite amazing.

Thanks, Dave (and everyone else).

Adam.

Eggshells?

Forget 'em.

For three years, I hoarded them. Dried them. Powdered them. And lovingly scattered them in the base of my tomato plants, grown in pots. To deter Blossom End Rot - reputedly a calcium-defficiency.

It didn't work. Still my pot-bound tomatoes got BER.

I now learn that BER is NOT a calcium deficiency. The plant can be as full of calcium as a chalk pit, and still get BER.

BER is simply a reflection of stress eg. wind or temperature, which stops the plant moving its calcium efficiently from the stems to the blossom ends.

Curiously, tomatoes I grow in the naked soil outdoors never get BER, I find.

I'd love to hear Carolyn's views on this.

Funny, I was just beginning to collect and go down this path, John! Guess the jury is out, but I don't suspect it can hurt?

I was thinking that I might put the shells in the microwave to kill any bacteria. Adam mentioned that he soaked his egg shells, I believe. So I thought a good round in the microwave might accomplish the same thing.

I think if I follow Shoe's advice about the trench composting, the combination of goodies might provide some good nutrients...

Morph....you just hit the nail on the head! Yeehaw!

Ideally (two "L's" in that word? Looks funny, eh?), anyway, idealy (

LOL, Shoe ~ don't know how many "l"s :)

I still have to go do some more reading about BER. Probably would be more fun if I read about BER while drinking beer since that's what it makes me think of!

sheesh....I'm suffering from "lack-a-post"...
I really went into detail in my above post about some stuff...only to come back here and seen it was not accepted. (It came up in the preview.) Maybe this is a Dave thing. Oh welll...when I remember what I said I'll re-post!
Going to bed now. see ya'll in the morning!