gypsum will NOT BREAK UP YOUR HARD clay soil? BY GEORGE EDGAR Gypsum is a
salt also know as calcium sulfate.
Do
not add gypsum or lime
unless you have had a soil test and they are recommended.
Advertisements for gypsum often claim the addition will help
improve soil structure, loosen heavy clay soils, and improve soil
drainage. Research in the Midwest (Nebraska, South Dakota, Iowa, Kansas,
and Colorado) does not show positive response to such claims. Gypsum is
chiefly used to amend sodic soils found in arid regions of the Western
United States. The addition of gypsum any place else is a waste of money
and may even make the soil worse. The best way to
improve Nebraska soils is to incorporate large amounts of organic matter
such as compost, Canadian sphagnum peat, and/or composted manure.
To amend poor soil before planting new lawns, flower beds or
vegetable gardens, add a 2 inch layer of organic matter and till or
spade into the top 4 inches to 8 inches of soil. To amend an
existing flower or shrub bed, mulch with compost around perennials or
shrubs and allow earthworms to work it into the soil. To amend
existing lawns, core aerate, then rake fine compost into the holes.
Aerate twice a year if desired, and make sure you go over the
lawn both North and South and even at a diagonal. Aerate every spring
anytime in April or the first week in May, and every fall before
September 1st. Also use a mulching mower so clippings can
work down into the soil and add organic matter. Clippings do not
contribute to thatch. Copyright 2006
|