Crushed egg shells have long been used on potted plants for the same reason
(calcium).  My mother always used them.  She also used coffee grounds (I
don't know why) but I later learned this was not good for plants.

This is the first I've heard of using mollusk shells.

Sylvia S. Edwards
Huntsville, Alabama
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----- Original Message -----
From: "Ezequiel M. Pinto-Guillaume"
<[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, January 21, 2000 2:41 PM
Subject: [CONCH-L] shells as fetilizers?


> Hi everyone,
>
> When I was a child I remember seeing my grandmother placing shells in
> planting pots in order to give the plants calcium (This was in Italy in
> the sixties). Almost every single planting pot in the garden had its
> share of shells. A month ago, I saw at a friend's house (Uppsala,
> Sweden) also a potted plant into which half-a-dozen shells had been
> placed. When I asked about it, I was told that it was good for the
> plants.
>
> Has anyone heard, seen or know more about this curious custom?
>
> Best regards,
>
> Ezequiel
> ---------------------------------------------------------
> Ezequiel M. Pinto-Guillaume, M.A.
> Tingsvägen 23, 3tr
> 145 56 Norsborg, Kingdom of Sweden, European Union
>
> Tel. (+468) 53174138
> Fax. (+468) 6490194
> e-mail: [log in to unmask]
> ---------------------------------------------------------
>