Researching how to improve my soil- a qoute about gypsum....

[mangomanic12]

  "Furthermore, according to the Puyallup Research and Extension Center at Washington State University, gypsum negatively affects the mycorrhizae that enhance root health and development"

Any opinions?

[Mike T]

Gypsum is bad news for a number of reasons including that it doesn't work in breaking up clay as claimed.Over application cause deficiencies in a number of antagonistic nutrients.

[mangomanic12]

Thanks , Mike T.  I didn't know that. Further confirmation. Thanks again !

[OrganicJim]

The best way to improve your soil is to add organic material to it. You have to be carefull to make sure you keep the carbon:nitrogen ratio at a good level. Like most of us that are in warm climates you have to add organics regularly to keep a ballance. Organics opens up the soil, increases micobiology and contains many of the nutrients plants need. Lots of info on the net about how to do it but make sure you look at ones for you climate.

[Tropicdude]

Anyone experienced with using Leonardite ? (aka Humic and Fulvic Acid )

[Mike T]

OJ hit the nail on the head.Dense mulching but away from the trunk.Forking and loosening before planting the tree and prior to mulch application helps the mulch and soil biology get some penetration.

[tabbydan]

Gypsum is bad news for a number of reasons including that it doesn't work in breaking up clay as claimed.Over application cause deficiencies in a number of antagonistic nutrients.

Gypsum will only "help" soils that meet given criteria.  If you have a heavy clay soil, and that soil is poor in calcium and rich in small monovalent cations (like sodium)... then gypsum will make the soil more friable.

Naturally, it won't necessarily improve the soil ecosystem (beneficial fungi like mycorrhizae, helpful bacteria, helpful creatures like earthworms) and over application would probably hurt all of those.  Plus, if you add a ton of a few cations and anions... the net effect is to decrease the availability of other "similar" ones (and plants need an assortment of cations...).

Adding bulk organic material is better, but it takes more work, and more material.  If what you are adding hasn't been broken down then (during the process of it breaking down) the net available nitrogen in the soil will decrease.  If it has already been broken down it can only increase the available nitrogen.  If you tilled in wood chips or bark (for example) the nitrogen would go down as they were chemically decomposed.  But if you added coffee grounds (which are already chemically "broken down") the nitrogen would go significantly up (because they have a lot on N).

[SeaWalnut]

Gypsum its great from manny reasons.
It binds the nitrogen from manure into nitrogen sulphate and thus the nitrogen becomes non volatile( its fixed longer term).
It also adds calcium to calcium poore soils and it helps to flush the salts ,helps prevent nitrogen burn of the roots if you apply too much manure.
To see these beneffits you have to dilute the gypsum with water 1:400 parts .
Its used to recover vegetation that got salt burn from the use of salt in winter on roads and parks and can also repair patches of grass that were burned by dog urine.

Its quite a powerfull and usefull soil amendment especially if you have salt issues and if you like to use a lot of nitrogen.

[Guanabanus]

On sandy soils, where trees are showing low productivity and lots of branch die-back, I use at least 1/4 of a 50-pound bag of gypsum with each 50-pound bag of mixed fertilizer containing 12% Potassium--- at least 1/3 bag gypsum with fert bag containing 16% Potassium, etc.

Increase of production and flavor can be remarkable.

[pineislander]

All fruit contains calcium. If you expect fruit and your soil is deficient in calcium don't expect good fruiting, maybe not even good growth. My soil test showed 179 ppm calcium with optimal at 500-900, sulfur was 3ppm with optimal 20-40 so yes I used gypsum and why wouldn't I? It was free, from new drywall scraps.

[pineislander]

  "Furthermore, according to the Puyallup Research and Extension Center at Washington State University, gypsum negatively affects the mycorrhizae that enhance root health and development"

Any opinions?

here is the reference from Payallup, which has no reference.
https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/403/2015/03/gypsum.pdf

I checked and found a reference, with peanuts which were drenched with gypsum at planting.
https://www.nrcresearchpress.com/doi/abs/10.1139/b85-232?journalCode=cjb1#.XkCLMTJKjb0

I also found a reference in which nitrogen fixing in a soil deficient in calcium was substantially enhanced with gypsum.
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00213437

[Frog Valley Farm]

I have a hard time believing anyone in southern Florida could ever have a low calcium problem. It is the past and current land management which is creating the problem.  Mike T had the correct response.

[pineislander]

Many have had internal breakdown/jelly seed/soft nose of mango that is likely due to calcium deficiency. High rainfall in sandy soil with low cation exchange capacity can cause calcium loss. It should help to build soil organic matter to incease CEC but there is no doubt that sometimes we may get very high rainfall with loss of calcium during fruit development. Here is some typical research:
https://ufdc.ufl.edu/AA00026798/00001/pdf

[Frog Valley Farm]

Which is exactly why we focus on soil health to hold the water in place and keeping our soil armored thus preventing nutrient loss due to runoff. It is a management issue. Mismanagement of Florida soils leads to nutrient runoff that is polluting Florida waters killing sea life and can be fixed by following the 5 soil health principals. 

[SeaWalnut]

Gypsum its amazing.It can even break an iron pan quite fast wich i think it says a lot about improoving drainage.
It will not till your soil as somme expected.
It makes aluminum and magnesium non toxic.
It makes sodic soils instantly from 9ph to 7,5.

You can also use less quality water if you use gypsum.
More about gypsum here.https://buildasoil.com/blogs/news/8490573-why-gypsum-in-your-organic-soil

[Cookie Monster]

Rainfall acidifies the soil, and decomp removes Ca:

"If the plant does not contain enough bases to satisfy microbial needs, the decomposition of the plant debris will not only give off carbon dioxide, but will also remove base nutrients such as calcium and magnesium from the soil."

http://courses.umass.edu/psoil370/Syllabus-files/Acid_Soils_of_the_Tropics.pdf

Calcium is the macronutrient required in the highest quantities (more than N, P, and K). Very vital for plant health and fruit quality.

[Guanabanus]

Excellent article, that.

And it is good to hear from you!

[Cookie Monster]

Excellent article, that.

And it is good to hear from you!