Caos 10.5% Ca
Calcium Amendment
with Organic Chelation

Overview

Caos® is a high-concentration liquid calcium fertilizer formulated for fruits, vegetables, ornamentals, and field crops. It combines readily available calcium with an organic complexing agent, lignosulfonate, to maximize both foliar and root uptake. The formulation is particularly well suited for foliar applications, including certified organic programs where calcium chloride–type materials are typically restricted to foliar use. It also performs extremely well through drip and surface irrigation wherever calcium availability in the soil is limited. :contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}

Caos is an excellent tool for preventing and correcting calcium-related disorders such as blossom-end rot, tip burn, internal breakdown, cracking, and poor post-harvest firmness. Its lignosulfonate complex keeps calcium mobile and available, leading to fast, visible improvement in tissue strength and fruit quality.

Guaranteed Analysis

  • Calcium (Ca): 10.5%

Derived from: calcium oxide and lignosulfonate. :contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}

What Calcium Does in Plants

  • Structural strength: calcium is a key component of cell walls and middle lamella, giving leaves and fruit their firmness.
  • Membrane stability: helps maintain membrane integrity and reduces leaky cells, which in turn reduces susceptibility to disorders and certain rots.
  • Root and shoot growth: essential for meristematic tissues (growing points in roots, shoots, and young fruit) that have the highest calcium demand.
  • Quality & shelf life: adequate calcium improves storage life, reduces physiological disorders, and increases the percentage of marketable fruit.

Calcium is not very mobile in the plant once it is deposited. That means the crop needs a steady supply during active growth and fruit fill; Caos is designed to deliver that supply efficiently through both foliar and root pathways.

What Is Lignosulfonate & Why It Matters in Caos

Lignosulfonate is an organic molecule derived from wood – you can think of it like a tiny, water-soluble fragment of sawdust. It carries negative charges that attach to the positively charged calcium ions, creating a stable lignosulfonate–calcium complex.

Practical benefits of the lignosulfonate complex:

  • Prevents calcium from tying up with carbonates, phosphates, or other anions in the soil or spray tank.
  • Keeps calcium soluble and mobile on the leaf surface and in the root zone.
  • Makes the calcium package more recognizable and acceptable to the root system, improving uptake efficiency versus uncomplexed sources.
  • Improves spread and penetration in foliar sprays thanks to its organic structure.

In simple terms, lignosulfonate escorts calcium to the plant and keeps it from being “grabbed” by other elements along the way.

Label Benefits

  • Provides active calcium in a highly available form.
  • Improves preservation and shelf life of harvested produce.
  • Reduces physiological disorders linked to calcium deficiency.
  • Calcium as an essential cell wall component—enhanced tissue strength and firmness.
  • Retards over-rapid maturity and improves fruit preservation.
  • Increases the percentage of marketable fruit.
  • Improves soil structure and increases crop tolerance to salinity.
  • Supports rooting and vegetative growth.
  • Improves overall firmness in fruit and leafy crops. :contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}

Use in Organic Programs

Caos is formulated from inputs (calcium and lignosulfonate) that are generally acceptable under USDA/NOP organic regulations when used as a foliar calcium source. As with any organic system, growers should confirm usage with their certifying agency, since the product itself is not OMRI-certified.

Application Rates & Recommendations

Foliar Application

  • Rate: 20–36 oz per 100 gallons of water.
  • Apply to good coverage without excessive runoff.
  • Avoid spraying during very bright, hot periods; treat early morning or late afternoon.

Irrigation / Fertigation

  • Drip irrigation: 2–5 pints per acre (up to 7–30 pints/acre for intensive programs).
  • Surface irrigation: 3–7 pints per acre (up to 10–40 pints/acre for intensive programs).

Suggested Timing by Crop

  • Cotton: Apply just before bloom; repeat weekly until the last bud.
  • Corn: Begin when the first leaves or buds are forming; repeat every 7–15 days.
  • Citrus & fruit trees: 3–4 applications every 7–15 days from bloom to last bud.
  • Grapevine & olive: Every 7–15 days from bloom through fruit development.
  • Vegetables (tomato, potato, etc.): Weekly use in vegetative development, fruit formation and hydric stress periods.
  • Ornamental & cut flower: Weekly applications, especially during flower bud formation.
  • Nursery: To increase growth activity and strengthen young plants. :contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}

Compatibility & Safety Notes

  • Do not mix Caos with phosphorus fertilizers.
  • Do not mix with copper, sulfur compounds, or oils.
  • Avoid mixing with highly acidic or highly alkaline products.
  • Always perform a small-scale compatibility (jar) test before new tank mixes.
  • Do not apply during extremely bright or hot periods or on crops with severe water stress.

Caos disperses easily in water with light agitation; any residue in pails is water-soluble— triple rinse and add rinsate to the spray tank. :contentReference[oaicite:4]{index=4}

Why Growers Like Caos

  • Rapid, reliable calcium uptake thanks to lignosulfonate complexing.
  • Excellent foliar performance for organic and conventional systems.
  • Helps solve difficult calcium issues (blossom-end rot, tip burn, soft fruit) that standard soil-applied calcium often cannot correct.
  • Flexible use through foliar spray, drip irrigation, or surface irrigation.
  • Improves fruit firmness, shelf life, and overall pack-out quality.