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...
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...
How the sulfur cycle works in crop nutrition
Sulfur is an essential nutrient for crops. The element is primarily found in sedimentary rocks, but it also cycles between the soil, living things and the atmosphere. Learn about how the sulfur cycle works in crop nutrition to understand how applying sulfur may help your production and profits. Why...
How Can I Tell If Gypsum Is Working?
I have been interested in gypsum for nearly a decade now and we have applied it on our family farm in Nebraska – following a 3 year cycle with 1 ton applications every third year. I had heard all the stories how it improves soil structure, particularly in tight clay...
Can Gypsum Remediate Dense, Deflocculated Soils?
One of gypsum’s primary benefits as a soil amendment is that the addition of calcium will flocculate the soil. Flocculation causes soil particles to come together and form natural aggregates and peds that improves soil structure and porosity. When soil particles disperse (deflocculated soils), natural aggregates breakdown and disperse, damaging...
Soil pH…Does Gypsum Help? Read below to find out.
Calcium sulfate (or gypsum) is a soluble inorganic compound. Gypsum has been used for many years to improve aggregation and inhibit or overcome dispersion in sodic soils. One of the many misnomers about calcium sulfate, or gypsum, is that it can effect soil pH. That misnomer arises from the fact that limestone, another calcium-containing...
Salting the Earth – Counteract Contamination with Calcium Sulfate
“Salting the earth” was a practice of ancient conquering armies. They poisoned farmland with salt so that crops would not grow. To the best of my knowledge, no one has intentionally “salted the earth” for many years. However, there is much unintentional soil contamination. Major sources of contamination include irrigation...
Importance of Selenite in Agriculture
The use of selenite (also called calcium sulfate or gypsum) in agriculture dates back to Benjamin Franklin who applied it as a fertilizer on his farm. Over the centuries since Franklin’s time, farmers have continued to use it and benefit from it. And in the last 10 to 15 years,...
How Calcium Sulfate Improves Chemical Soil Properties
Calcium sulfate has the ability to act as a ph buffer which helps to negate the acidity in the soil and its alkalinity. The ph in soil can adversely affect a plant's growth and health because of its impact on the availability of required nutrients. Various aspects of the soil...