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...
Learn about the different sources of gypsum
Not all gypsum products are alike and some can be downright ineffective and even hazardous so know what you are buying before you purchase and apply it. Gypsum can be mined from deposits or derived as a by-product from industrial processing. Synthetic gypsum can come from citric and lactic acid...
My plan for a 2014 field study using gypsum
2014 Gypsum Studies Truth be known, I am a fan of gypsum. I have written about it and studied marketing pieces, research data and scientific articles. But at the end of the day, I like what it does to the soil. My current passion is improving soil health. If I...
Gypsum, organic matter & the do’s and don’ts of soil compaction
What is Soil Compaction? Soil compaction reduces porosity and impedes water and nutrient flow and root growth. It is generally induced by man-made activities and often requires man-made actions to remediate. If compaction is left unchecked, it will have negative impacts on soil, root growth and plant development. Compaction is always a...
Learn how gypsum helps growers use less water
Gypsum Improves Water Efficiency Gypsum provides many benefits to the soil including water storage. Calcium sulfate impacts soil structure which influences its ability to capture and store water. Calcium in gypsum helps flocculate soil particles together into more naturally aggregated peds that improves structure and increases porosity. This probably is...
Can gypsum be applied with other fertilizers?
Gypsum (calcium sulfate) is a product that supplies the crop in the soil with a soluble and available form of calcium (Ca2+) and sulfur (SO42-). If these forms are deficient in soil, then crop productivity and soil will benefit if gypsum is applied. Today gypsum is sold either as ag-gyp...
Learn more about the benefits gypsum has on soil structure
What are the benefits of applying gypsum? Improves Structure. Gypsum, and particularly its calcium component improves soil structure. Soluble calcium (calcium in the soil water) enhances soil aggregation and porosity to improve water infiltration. And soils that have too much sodium or too much magnesium relative to calcium can...
Can soil degradation be reversed by gypsum?
One of the concerns today is that soils are being degraded by intensive agricultural production, salinity or contamination. Soil degradation can be generally defined as a decline in soil quality caused by its improper and unsustainable use. Soil degradation is slowly becoming a serious global problem and is exacerbated by...