Can gypsum be applied on organic farms? Commercial farmers, organic growers, home owners, turf managers and others can benefit from application of gypsum (calcium sulfate) in remediating salinity and sodium issues and improving soil structure. However they can’t all use the same sources or gypsum for all garden soils. Mined...
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Phosphorus retention in crops and how calcium can play a role
It’s a dichotomy – the impact of calcium on phosphorus retention and availability. Fields that receive large amounts of manure or litter contain large amounts of phosphorus. Phosphorus that isn't taken up by plants remains in the subsoil and is displaced by runoff. If it isn’t tied up by soil...
What’s your grade? Agricultural or solution?
Agricultural or solution? When reading marketing literature about gypsum, we often see gypsum referred to as solution grade gypsum. This product is primarily targeted for the irrigation market. Is solution grade gypsum any different than conventional gypsum? Gypsum is sold as either powdered ag-gyp or pelletized gypsum. However, ag-gyp can be marketed as...
Gypsum and its role in trapping ammonia gas
Animal manures and composts inevitably release ammonia into the atmosphere. These waste products are rich in nutrients and contain organic forms of nitrogen. They are rich in biological life that feed on carbon and nutrients, and in the process, they mineralize or release nutrients, including nitrogen. A very common problem...
Pellets, prills, or crushed: the differences explained
Ag Gyp is mined from deposits and is marketed as a powder. It can range in purity from less that 60% to more than 90% on a dihydrate equivalent basis. Since it was ground, it will pass through screen tests ranging from 50 to 200 mesh, and each batch will...
Gypsum and how it corrects aluminum toxicity in the subsoil
How does calcium remediate pH problems associated with an acid subsoil? Soils can be acid or alkaline. Acid soils occur where there has been a lot of rainfall over the centuries. Acid soils are highly weathered, and many minerals and bases have been leached. Alkaline soils develop in arid areas...
Gypsum & Limestone: two great soil amendments with key differences
Gypsum is calcium sulfate, and lime is calcium carbonate. Both are soil amendments, and both provide calcium. Only gypsum provides a source of sulfur. Gypsum is actively marketed as a soil amendment. Gypsum can be mined. Mined gypsum is a relatively pure and clean product depending on how many other...
Gypsum (calcium sulfate): how it can make degraded soils productive again
Soils in the world degrade generally from human induced activity like logging, mining, drilling (for oil or natural gas), accidental spills or farming. However, nature can also degrade soils with changes in landscape and water levels. Once soils are degraded, they are no longer productive. They cannot support natural vegetation...
How much sulfur should be in my soil for optimal growing?
How much sulfur do plants need for optimal growing? Both the yield and quality of crops grown on sulfur-deficient soils are reduced unless supplemental sulfur is included as fertilizer. Sulfur can increase crop yields and quality and result in significant economic returns to producers. It also improves fertilizer efficiency. Sulfur...
It’s soil science! Available calcium and the cation exchange complex…
Soluble versus Extractable Calcium - soil science Calcium is secondary nutrient in plants and is an important part of cell walls. Calcium is often times abundant in the soil as an element but can be tied up with carbonate – forming calcium carbonate and other secondary minerals. There is also...