Gypsum Anyone?

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Homesteader

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Salinity in high tunnels are a problem due to manure and compost usage? IMO no till pots will eventually have the same problem and a top dress with gypum and water flush a few weeks later would help release the salts by letting the sulfates attach to the sodium and allow it to move through the soil. Ill take the hit from the anti-flushers out there for mere suggestion.
 
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Homesteader

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At 1:05:00 of video above talks about new research on gypsum.... @Bulldog420 @Slownickel might interest you two most.
 
Homesteader

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jumpincactus said:
Here is some interesting data. I cannot say definitively that it is totally accurate but I do have a lot of respect for Linda's work as she doesn't cow tow to any AG companies and has taken a lot of heat over the years as a result.

Take what you want and leave the rest. Just another perspective concerning gypsum as a soil amendment. Peace

Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist and Associate Professor, Puyallup Research and Extension Center, Washington State University

The Myth of Gypsum Magic “Adding gypsum to your yard or garden will improve soil tilth and plant health”

The Myth: Upon continued prodding from one of my university extension colleagues, I recently watched several episodes of a well-known gardening program on television. My kids joined me, alerted by my animated responses to the host’s non-stop torrent of advice. Among many amazing discoveries I learned that by adding gypsum to my yard or garden I would improve my problem soils by changing the particle size and loosening compaction. Further searching on the web revealed that gypsum would also improve drainage, decrease acidity, and eliminate soil salts. Previously, I had heard of gypsum for use in soil reclamation projects, but not for a typical urban landscape. Since gypsum is simply calcium sulfate, could this chemical truly transform soil structure and serve as a fertilizer for yards and gardens?

The Reality:
This myth falls into the category of agricultural practices misapplied to ornamental landscapes. Gypsum effectively changes the structure and fertility of heavy clay soils, especially those that are heavily weathered or subject to intensive crop production. Gypsum also improves sodic (saline) soils by removing sodium from the soil and replacing it with calcium. Therefore, one can see improvement in clay soil structure and fertility, and desalinization of sodium-rich soils, by using gypsum. What other effects will gypsum have on soil and plant health? There are a number of scientific studies on gypsum usage both in the literature and on websites. Briefly, researchers have found:

• Gypsum does not usually change soil acidity, though occasional reports of both increasing and decreasing pH exist;
• Gypsum can increase leaching of aluminum, which can detoxify soils but also contaminates nearby watersheds;
• Gypsum can increase leaching of iron and manganese, leading to deficiencies of these nutrients;
• Gypsum applied to acid soils can induce magnesium deficiency in plants on site;
• Gypsum applied to sandy soils can depress phosphorus, copper and zinc transport;
• Gypsum can have negative effects on mycorrhizal inoculation of roots, which may account for several reports of negative effects of gypsum on tree seedling establishment and survival;
• Gypsum is variable in its effects on mature trees;
• Gypsum will not improve fertility of acid or sandy soils;
• Gypsum will not improve water holding capacity of sandy soils; and
• Gypsum’s effects are short-lived (often a matter of months)

With the exception of arid and coastal regions (where soil salts are high) and the southeastern United States (where heavy clay soils are common), gypsum amendment is just not necessary in non-agricultural areas. Urban soils are generally amalgamations of subsoils, native and non-native topsoils, and – in home landscapes – high levels of organic and non-organic chemical additives. They are also heavily compacted and layered (and gypsum does not work well on layered soils). In such landscapes, it is pointless to add yet more chemicals in the form of gypsum unless you need to increase soil calcium levels. This nutrient deficiency can be quickly identified by any soil testing laboratory for less than a bag of gypsum costs. (If you need to improve sulfur nutrition, it’s wiser to use ammonium sulfate). To reduce compaction and improve aeration in nearly any landscape, application of an organic mulch is more economically and environmentally sustainable.

The Bottom Line
• Gypsum can improve heavy clay soil structure and remove sodium from saline soils
• Gypsum has no effect on soil fertility, structure, or pH of any other soil type
• Most urban soils are not improved by additional gypsum
• Before adding gypsum or any chemical to a landscape, have soil analysis performed to identify mineral deficiencies, toxicities, and soil character
• Adding gypsum to sandy or non-sodic soils is a waste of money, natural resources, and can have negative impacts on plant, soil, and ecosystem health.

For more information, please visit Dr. Chalker-Scott’s web page at http://www.theinformedgardener.com
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Just wanted to state that this "facts" are full of shit and passed off as truth. 75% of what she says is truly bullshit and made to sound edumacated.. Leaching iron? No effect on soil structure? no nutrient value? Negative effects on microbes? Sounds right up Elaines ally.
This person has obviously sold herself as an earth warrior but has disregarded sound research to make her objectives fit nicely.....Sound like Elaine?
Booo0 phosphate!Boo bone meal!
 
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jumpincactus

jumpincactus

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Homesteader said:
Just wanted to state that this "facts" are full of shit and passed off as truth. 75% of what she says is truly bullshit and made to sound edumacated.. Leaching iron? No effect on soil structure? no nutrient value? Negative effects on microbes? Sounds right up Elaines ally.
This person has obviously sold herself as an earth warrior but has disregarded sound research to make her objectives fit nicely.....Sound like Elaine?
Booo0 phosphate!Boo bone meal!
Click to expand...
Easy killa, dont shoot the messenger. I did qualify that I could not substantiate her claims either way. But she has been around for a long time in horticulture, I find it hard to believe nothing she says in accurate. Especially since she isn't beholden to any AG markets.
 
Homesteader

Homesteader

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My bad bro wasn't directed at you, my apologies if it sounded that way. Its not that it is all intellectually inaccurate, just that the way it is presented in an effort to demonize all things chemical and sway the truth that those facts in an effort to sell whatever it is they are selling (most often themselves/books/speaking events.)
 
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jumpincactus

jumpincactus

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Homesteader said:
My bad bro wasn't directed at you, my apologies if it sounded that way. Its not that it is all intellectually inaccurate, just that the way it is presented in an effort to demonize all things chemical and sway the truth that those facts in an effort to sell whatever it is they are selling (most often themselves/books/speaking events.)
Click to expand...
No worries man. :D
 
Ecompost

Ecompost

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Homesteader said:
Just wanted to state that this "facts" are full of shit and passed off as truth. 75% of what she says is truly bullshit and made to sound edumacated.. Leaching iron? No effect on soil structure? no nutrient value? Negative effects on microbes? Sounds right up Elaines ally.
This person has obviously sold herself as an earth warrior but has disregarded sound research to make her objectives fit nicely.....Sound like Elaine?
Booo0 phosphate!Boo bone meal!
Click to expand...
you have a little too much hate for Elaine than should be allowed really bro. There is never a moment I dont see you jump on her, even if the post is about Linda. We know, you dont like Elaine but for the love of god move on... Havent we already discussed the simple fact that we have gone way beyond Elaine and her data sets? That said, her concept is and has been worthy of research and study.

One thing I can say bro, no matter the topic, when it comes to the movers and shakers, there is almost unanimous consent that anyone can put an argument together, any one can counter it, but reality is most people including me know fuck all, what is nutrition for you, might be poison to me. I can take apart your synthetic mineral farm irrigation bro, just as you take apart Elaine. So what.
Most of the stuff you use i wouldn't touch with a barn pole, we can know already what most farmers use is destroying the soil, denial aint doing anyone any favors, there is no question buddy, soil is disappearing and faster now we use synthetic manures but you do it anyway, citing research paid for by the very people selling the shit, denying the counter, this is what people do, find something that resonates and go with it. Like I said 30K papers on antioxidants, but not one tells me if I should take them or not.
 
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