Gypsum anyone?

NaturalFarmer

NaturalFarmer

Well-Known Member
I love me some gypsum for cannabis. Maybe I can get Jeff Lowenfels to add it to the next revision in Teaming with Nutrients.

"The bottom line to the many benefits of gypsum is higher yield at a minimum cost."



"The forgotten nutrients Gypsum is also a source of calcium and sulfur, or what Dick called the “forgotten nutrients.” Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium get most of our attention, but plants also need calcium and sulfur in relatively large amounts, he explained. Plant cell walls and membranes require calcium for proper functioning, and growing root tips and developing fruits also need a lot of the nutrient. Sulfur, meanwhile, is critical to making protein because the amino acids methionine and cysteine both contain sulfur atoms."

https://www.agronomy.org/files/publications/crops-and-soils/amending-soils-with-gypsum.pdf


"Agricultural Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate - CaSO4) is one of those rare materials that performs in all three categories of soil treatment: an amendment, conditioner, and fertilizer.

Soil conditioners, such as gypsum, are seriously undervalued compared to fertilizer usage. Dr. Arthur Wallace (Ph.D. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition) and Dr. Garn Wallace (Ph.D. Bio-Chemistry) of Wallace Laboratories in El Segundo, CA, U.S.A., believe that if soil structure ain't right, then nothing is right.

Lets look at it from the plants point of view. The bottom-line question here is AVAILABILITY. How much calcium sulfate (nutrition) is available to the plant to meet its gypsum requirement when it needs it? The same is true with the soil. If it does not get gypsum when it needs it, the soil may compact, prevent water and air penetration, lose its leaching ability and become saturated with salt or other excessive elements harmful to plant growth and health. Then the plant suffers from bad soil conditions.

Poor soil structure is a major limiting factor in crop yield. The bottom line to the many benefits of gypsum is higher yield at a minimum cost."


https://buildasoil.com/blogs/news/8490573-why-gypsum-in-your-organic-soil
 
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thumper60

thumper60

Well-Known Member
NaturalFarmer said:
I love me some gypsum for cannabis. Maybe I can get Jeff Lowenfels to add it to the next revision in Teaming with Nutrients.

"The bottom line to the many benefits of gypsum is higher yield at a minimum cost."



"The forgotten nutrients Gypsum is also a source of calcium and sulfur, or what Dick called the “forgotten nutrients.” Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium get most of our attention, but plants also need calcium and sulfur in relatively large amounts, he explained. Plant cell walls and membranes require calcium for proper functioning, and growing root tips and developing fruits also need a lot of the nutrient. Sulfur, meanwhile, is critical to making protein because the amino acids methionine and cysteine both contain sulfur atoms."

https://www.agronomy.org/files/publications/crops-and-soils/amending-soils-with-gypsum.pdf


"Agricultural Gypsum (Calcium Sulfate - CaSO4) is one of those rare materials that performs in all three categories of soil treatment: an amendment, conditioner, and fertilizer.

Soil conditioners, such as gypsum, are seriously undervalued compared to fertilizer usage. Dr. Arthur Wallace (Ph.D. Soil Science and Plant Nutrition) and Dr. Garn Wallace (Ph.D. Bio-Chemistry) of Wallace Laboratories in El Segundo, CA, U.S.A., believe that if soil structure ain't right, then nothing is right.

Lets look at it from the plants point of view. The bottom-line question here is AVAILABILITY. How much calcium sulfate (nutrition) is available to the plant to meet its gypsum requirement when it needs it? The same is true with the soil. If it does not get gypsum when it needs it, the soil may compact, prevent water and air penetration, lose its leaching ability and become saturated with salt or other excessive elements harmful to plant growth and health. Then the plant suffers from bad soil conditions.

Poor soil structure is a major limiting factor in crop yield. The bottom line to the many benefits of gypsum is higher yield at a minimum cost."


https://buildasoil.com/blogs/news/8490573-why-gypsum-in-your-organic-soil
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I no the potato farmers use a ton of it around me
 
420nstargazer

420nstargazer

Well-Known Member
NaturalFarmer said:
I also find the use of local recycled drywall/wallboard very hopeful instead of mined products from afar, but I will have to research that a bit more.
http://www.soils.wisc.edu/extension/pubs/A3782.pdf
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I'm on my phone, so I only scanned and spot read the link, but the concern I've had when thinking of using scrap wallboard is the additives they put in it (fire retardants, moisture and mold block chemicals). If one were to use plain, residential 1/2" board (no fx, no mr), it would probably be best.

I've also heard you can throw scrap wallboard in a muddy/dirty pond to clear up the water
 
NaturalFarmer

NaturalFarmer

Well-Known Member
420nstargazer said:
I'm on my phone, so I only scanned and spot read the link, but the concern I've had when thinking of using scrap wallboard is the additives they put in it (fire retardants, moisture and mold block chemicals). If one were to use plain, residential 1/2" board (no fx, no mr), it would probably be best.

I've also heard you can throw scrap wallboard in a muddy/dirty pond to clear up the water
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I was thinking of the Chinese wallboard off gassing problems from a few years ago and thinking the same but worth looking into more I guess.
 
Tupapa

Tupapa

Well-Known Member
The thing is availability., Gypsum takes a bit to break down and be useful to plants., While epson salts is ready to uptake., I like using grinded egg shells to provide calcium and the sulfur and magnesium from Epson salt., Maybe there's a gypsum ready to uptake i haven't use it if it is.,. Macro nutrients are npk sufur cal and mag.
 
NaturalFarmer

NaturalFarmer

Well-Known Member
One of the better sources



Spectrum Analytic

Calcium Basics

http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/Ca_Basics.htm



"Gypsum as a Nutrient Source

Because gypsum is highly soluble, it is an excellent source of Ca and S, especially for acid-loving crops and ornamentals, plus a few crops that are especially responsive to either Ca or S for reasons other than soil pH. Acid soils are by nature low in Ca. Where additional Ca is needed, gypsum is an ideal source for these crops."


http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/rf/Gypsum.htm
 
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NaturalFarmer

NaturalFarmer

Well-Known Member
Sulfur in the Soil

"Most soil sources of S are in the organic matter and are therefore concentrated in the topsoil or plow layer. Elemental S and other forms as found in soil organic matter and some fertilizers, are not available to crops. They must be converted to the sulfate (SO4- -) form to become available to the crop. This conversion is performed by soil microbes and therefore requires soil conditions that are warm, moist, and well drained to proceed rapidly. The sulfate form of S is an anion (negative charge), and therefore is leachable. As a rough rule-of-thumb, it can be considered to leach through the soil profile at about 50% as fast as nitrates (NO3-). In soils with a significant and restrictive clay layer in the sub-soil, it is common to find that sulfate which has leached through the soil over time and become “perched” on the clay layer. This SO4- -is available to crops when the roots reach this area of the soil."




http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/doc/library/articles/s_basics
 
ttystikk

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
NaturalFarmer said:
One of the better sources



Spectrum Analytic

Calcium Basics

http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/ff/Ca_Basics.htm



"Gypsum as a Nutrient Source

Because gypsum is highly soluble, it is an excellent source of Ca and S, especially for acid-loving crops and ornamentals, plus a few crops that are especially responsive to either Ca or S for reasons other than soil pH. Acid soils are by nature low in Ca. Where additional Ca is needed, gypsum is an ideal source for these crops."


http://www.spectrumanalytic.com/support/library/rf/Gypsum.htm
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Wait a minute; the whole reason you make sure your calcium nitrate and epsom salt are mixed separately in hydroponics is because the calcium and sulfur are prone to flocculation, and when they do they become over 90% water INsoluble and drop out of solution.

This process occurred in nature, building up vast deposits in ancient lakes and seabeds, which is where is most often mined from.

So how do we get from there to 'highly soluble'?
 
NaturalFarmer

NaturalFarmer

Well-Known Member
ttystikk said:
Wait a minute; the whole reason you make sure your calcium nitrate and epsom salt are mixed separately in hydroponics is because the calcium and sulfur are prone to flocculation, and when they do they become over 90% water INsoluble and drop out of solution.

This process occurred in nature, building up vast deposits in ancient lakes and seabeds, which is where is most often mined from.

So how do we get from there to 'highly soluble'?
Click to expand...
Why Gypsum Works in Your Soil: Part 2 Good Source of Calcium in all Soils

"Factors that can affect calcium availability from the soil is the balance with other nutrients. If calcium is low because you have an imbalance with magnesium, potassium, sodium, aluminum or hydrogen, your plants may be stressed.

Another factor that can affect calcium availability is high levels of carbonates and bicarbonates in the soil. This will be related to high sodium levels and/or high pH levels in the soil. Irrigation water can also contain high levels of carbonates and bicarbonates. Carbonates and bicarbonates will react with calcium making this calcium less available for plant uptake. This calcium will probably appear on the soil test as exchangeable calcium, but in reality is not plant available.

Most common sources of calcium for agricultural crops include calcium carbonate (limestone) and calcium sulfate (gypsum). Both are good sources of calcium as long as they have small particle size and applied in the correct soil conditions. Limestone is most effective as a calcium source in low pH soils where it will be reactive. It is not a good calcium source in high pH soils since it won’t be soluble. Gypsum is a soluble form of calcium at all soil pH levels."
 
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