http://www.puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/Horticultural%20Myths_files/Myths/Gypsum.pdf

Good read here…and I recall a local DPI chap telling me that sulphur releases a lot of the goodies in my particular soil type…

Off to Google “ammonium sulphate”…

Well it appears I should leave well enough alone…the soil is very nice in the front bed but I was wondering if I should add more gypsum…it seems that gypsum shouldn’t be used unless definitely necessary, and I should just keep up with the organic matter…

“Gypsum-ed” the front bed well and truly, about 2-3 years ago, but now that I have reversed the water-repellent effect of the organic additions, the soil apparently doesn’t need the gypsum.

Still need to replace the soil pH testing kit…

:(

bad dog, bad dog, hope you were sick

:*

Gypsum is only beneficial under very extreme conditions.. but then again small amounts used in potting mixes or composts are not going to do more than affect a small area in a small way.

roughbarked said:

Gypsum is only beneficial under very extreme conditions.. but then again small amounts used in potting mixes or composts are not going to do more than affect a small area in a small way.

Hi RoughBarked.

Yes, that’s what the original URL that I put up, said.

I’ve got a garden bed set on cracking black clay…it has taken me years of adding the vegetable scraps and bags of organic matter (mind you very irregular…when the spirit “moves” me once or twice a year) to get the bed to it’s current state…

Gosh it’s a big bed to dig over. I’m glad I’m sectioning it off.

The Three Sisters section will go in the south west corner, the planned spice experiment will go in the north-west corner (protected from the nor’westerlies by trees) and the rest (facing north east) for tomatoes, garlic, onion, basil, and other associated tomato-type herbs…might “go” for an eggplant and a capsicum, plus a chilli…

>bad dog, bad dog, hope you were sick

So we’ve moved from “my dog ate my homework” to “my dog ate my PH test kit”?

colliewa said:

>bad dog, bad dog, hope you were sick

So we’ve moved from “my dog ate my homework” to “my dog ate my PH test kit”?

LOL! We actually used that once, not sure if it was the dog at the time, or the cats…we were unaware of it as an excuse…I think the dog shredded part of the exercise book but as there were so many dramas involving dogs when the children required a lot of attention (me on phone: “Tell MrD he needs to bring another steak home, the dog got his” as the dinner would be put out and the dog would sneak one off the table, the table being outside 8 months of the year…his Secretary could hardly speak for laughing sometimes oh ho ho ho ho indeed)…the cats were guilty of muddy paws until that window was screened off…there is a desk at the window and the cats would use it when the house was shut up (and when it was not, too)…

…but I digress…
.

my soil is all clay – so as this picture shows – i fork the soil over in big lumps and then drop a wheel barrow load of sand (white heap towards rear of photo) on the lot so the sand goes down to fill the holes. i then fork it over a second time to break up the clay lumps.

i don’t use gypsum because the clay is underlaid with limestone and too much white powdery calcium salt comes to the surface.

Something to be grateful for here…we are underlaid with rotted basalt…excellent drainage MrD says…

I have had to use Gypsum in the past here in Towntown (2005), my sodium levels were excessive being within a high King tide line, but the Gypsum was able to unlock some of the nutrients that the sodium were holding. After a serious season of gypsum, another soil test (2008) and improved aeration and watering methods, my sodium levels fell.

New soil test being done tomorrow.

Dinetta said:

Something to be grateful for here…we are underlaid with rotted basalt…excellent drainage MrD says…

i’ve been adding basalt to my soil – apparently very fertile, rich stuff – so i’d say your clay is probably naturally rich. clay doesn’t grow carrots tho’ so that sand treatment is prep for my carrot bed.

The farmers around all make a fortune out of this soil, spend a fortune on artificial fertilizers and pesticides and herbicides as well…

You are right with the carrots: my late father found that only sand (and Aquasol – no hippie natural stuff back then) would grow carrots that didn’t fork…as his beds were mostly only used during winter (and lay fallow over summer except for a crop or two of cucumbers) he grew carrots in the designated bed year after year…

Dinetta said:

The farmers around all make a fortune out of this soil, spend a fortune on artificial fertilizers and pesticides and herbicides as well…

You are right with the carrots: my late father found that only sand (and Aquasol – no hippie natural stuff back then) would grow carrots that didn’t fork…as his beds were mostly only used during winter (and lay fallow over summer except for a crop or two of cucumbers) he grew carrots in the designated bed year after year…

Your father has proven a point that I have made often about the misconception that too much nitrogen forks carrot roots.

roughbarked said:

Your father has proven a point that I have made often about the misconception that too much nitrogen forks carrot roots.

The carrots forked when Dad added cow manure to the sand…good for the other vegetables but not carrots…I’m pretty sure it was just cow manure…

the chookies “fertilized” the “lawn” during their green pick of an evening…

roughbarked said:

Your father has proven a point that I have made often about the misconception that too much nitrogen forks carrot roots.

I think Pepe tried an experiment with carrots and nitrogen last summer, but the experiment died due to heat exhaustion and water rations…

what forks carrot roots .. all relates to water.. and how it dissolves fertilizers into useable assets.. and this is mostly about drainage and water supply.

roughbarked said:

what forks carrot roots .. all relates to water.. and how it dissolves fertilizers into useable assets.. and this is mostly about drainage and water supply.

keep going…

i tried to make the carrots fork by applying liquid pigeon poo to my young spring carrots. i applied dilute fertiliser every two weeks for about ten weeks but the carrots refused to fork. which really only proves that you can use liquid fert on carrots without them forking.

rotation is an iffey theory – particularly if you have to prepare special carrot soil like i do. soil nematodes are real enough tho’ – so there must be something that non-rotators do to prevent nematodes. maybe they just rest the soil over summer?

pepe said:

rotation is an iffey theory – particularly if you have to prepare special carrot soil like i do. soil nematodes are real enough tho’ – so there must be something that non-rotators do to prevent nematodes. maybe they just rest the soil over summer?

that’s what Dad did…just let weeds and things grow in it, then pulled them all out just before sowing…

pepe said:

i tried to make the carrots fork by applying liquid pigeon poo to my young spring carrots. i applied dilute fertiliser every two weeks for about ten weeks but the carrots refused to fork. which really only proves that you can use liquid fert on carrots without them forking.

Dad actually dug the manure in, then sowed the seeds…

pepe said:

i tried to make the carrots fork by applying liquid pigeon poo to my young spring carrots. i applied dilute fertiliser every two weeks for about ten weeks but the carrots refused to fork. which really only proves that you can use liquid fert on carrots without them forking.

rotation is an iffey theory – particularly if you have to prepare special carrot soil like i do. soil nematodes are real enough tho’ – so there must be something that non-rotators do to prevent nematodes. maybe they just rest the soil over summer?

^ no worries., keeping on keeping on is a good philosophy ;)

barley..

grow it to flowering .. and plough it in.. Tagetes minuta repels nematodes, as does Cobblers Pegs.

From a tin.. er., Nemacur?

^ no worries., keeping on keeping on is a good philosophy ;) barley.. grow it to flowering .. and plough it in.. Tagetes minuta repels nematodes, as does Cobblers Pegs.
From a tin.. er., Nemacur?
————————

the other reason for rotation is the – corn / peas / carrots rotation that gets the fertiliser right. corn likes it rich – peas use the soil leftover from corn well and carrots enjoy the pea residules – sort of ‘jack spat could eat no fat, his wife could eat no lean – so between them both they licked the platter clean”.