Also, as I stated earlier, high ppm and high pH tap/well water tend to be high in bicarbonates. Calcium carbonate isn't a readily available source of calcium to begin with, and bicarbonates will make most calcium carbonate inaccessible to the plant. Calcium carbonate is best used as a soil amendment and let breakdown for awhile as it's the primary driver of soil chemistry and is responsible for oxygen levels in the soil. Calcium is also the main nutrient that 99% of soils don't have enough of(even in all the fancy amended soils people use). Oxygen happens to be the most important element in the soil--especially for the roots and the microbes. Readily available forms of calcium are gypsum, amino acid chelated calcium, and calcium carbonate (oyster shell, calcitic lime, bone meal) that has been "cooked" in ewc or compost. For the plant to integrate calcium into it's structure, there must be sufficient boron as well.
Edit- I agree that knowing the pH of your water/nutrient solutions is important in organics. It's also important to know the exact chemical composition of the soil via a soil analysis. However, both are useless if a person doesn't know what they mean.
I keep debating a soil test, but then I figure that I might just use another mix in the no till pots and start again - incorporate more of what I’ve learned over the past year into the mix and then go to testing.
but who can’t argue with testing - can’t beat it if you want to understand your soil, especially if you run no-till.
i don’t think you necessarily need it to solve an issue you are experiencing,for example. It will likely take longer, require more persistence and perhaps trial and error to arrive at a proper diagnosis and remedy, but the experience in getting there is invaluable. Albeit frustrating lol this is what makes the test so attractive.
also your description of Ca / CaCO3 is pretty much how I understand it as well. The extension of that which I find to be important is that a build up of excess CaCO3 is still a build up a Ca; whether it is in an available form to the plant or not, it will interact with surrounding minerals, and in excess proportions it will cause antagonism of micros and macros (namely K, Mg, and P) , and can also buffer the pH higher in your pots leading to issues with availability in that respect as well.
my take is that you need to account for Ca content in your water and then build your soil accordingly. But you have to account for all of the Ca that’s in there, including any that might be in rock dusts or other organic amendments
