Do you have clay or layer of hard subsoil problems in your
garden? Then gypsum may be the answer to help loosen the soil
structure. It is not considered a miracle substance and you will
find that it doesn't work right away, but a 3 year program of
applications should help improve the poor soil conditions. It is
not expensive and is easy to spread where needed.
Gypsum also has a job of repairing the soil that has been
damaged through compaction from heavy stock, machinery, in the
recovery of sub-soils exposed by earth movement and in soils
affected by salinity.
A gardener faces one of the biggest problems in a new or
established garden if they have a clay or layer of hard subsoil
type of soil. This type of soil creates poor drainage, soggy
soil and soil compaction.
When you have a new garden you can work organic humus, which
should be done anyway, to loosen the poor soil. Manure, compost,
peat moss and soil mulches and conditioners are normally used
for this purpose.
You might ask, what do you do in an established garden? A lot of
work and time to recondition soil would be required. Gypsum may
be just the answer for reconditioning the soil, because it can
be spread on the surface of the soil like in the vegetable
garden, flowerbeds or on the lawn. What this means is it does
not have to be worked into the soil, it can just simply be
spread on the surface.
What does Gypsum do? It's main purpose is to penetrate the many
clay particles in heavy or the layer of hard subsoil type soils
and loosen the soil structure. Then this creates air and
moisture slots that will loosen and break-up the soil structure.
Be aware that gypsum does not contain any major plant nutrients,
so continue a regular fertilizing program even though it
contains calcium and sulfur which is needed for plant growth. In
addition, continue to put out organic humus as you plant.
Gypsum is easy to apply! Just spread it on the lawn, using the
granular type, with a lawn spreader at the rate of 40 pounds per
thousand square feet. Gypsum fertilizer can be spread any time
of the year and only one application per year is needed. To get
it started working, water immediately after applying. If applied
properly it does not affect the pH of the soil, not harmful to
humans and your animals and will not burn. And because Gypsum is
neutral and will not change the soil pH, you can use it in
places where plants like Azaleas, Camellias, Rhododendrons and
other acid loving plants grow, they need a little calcium too.
Of course, gypsum should be applied per directions.
What is gypsum? Hydrous calcium sulfate Calcium Sulfate - CaSO4
Another Name: Gypsite
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