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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. On the other hand, many plants will struggle to thrive in clay soil, regardless of how effectively you amend it. A hand spreader will be more effective for applying gypsum to an established flower or garden area. To learn how to make your soil more acidic, keep reading! Myth #3: Gypsum for lawns is a great liming material and will effectively raise soil pH. Clay soil can provide an excellent foundation for healthy plant growth, Compacted clay inhibits healthy growth for grass and other plants, Soil amendments such as organic matter and gypsum improve heavy clay and relieve compaction, Gypsum enhances your soil and delivers extra benefits to your garden, Pennington Fast Acting Gypsum starts working immediately, lime adds calcium and makes soil less acidic, North Carolina Extension Gardener Handbook: Soils and Plant Nutrients, How to Grow Flowers, Herbs and Vegetables Indoors, How to Identify, Fight and Prevent Root Rot. The calcium in Gypsum improves flocculation or soil … To amend clay soil, add builder's sand and gypsum to create more air pockets and increase the soil's drainage. Andrew Carberry has been working in food systems since 2008. As a general rule, when possible, add a layer of 3 to 6 inches of organic matter on your soil before planting, and work it down into the top 10 to 12 inches—where most roots grow. Builder's sand and gypsum allow for better water drainage and increased air pockets, as they force the particles in the clay apart. It will take a sustained approach of applying gypsum over a few years before you will see any noticeable effect. Gypsum is easily applied to the soil surface with a regular lawn spreader. The adding of gypsum is not a substitute for adding organic matter like compost. I found just what I needed to know. In this environment, tilling will make the problem worse by mixing clay in with your topsoil. The calcium supplied by gypsum displaces the sodium held on the clay-binding sites. Gypsum works on the clay, breaking it up into small crumbly pieces making it easier to work with and also improves drainage. ", structure of the soil. Gypsum is the active ingredient of many commercial ‘clay improvers’. Find your local county extension office and get a soil testing kit. Clay soils that are sodic (high in sodium) tend to have poor structure. It is a good idea to do this in both the fall and spring, before you seed and fertilize, so that the seed and fertilizer gets down to the bottom. How Does Gypsum Help in Plant and Soil Health? This helps with drainage, allows your lawn to breathe. Last Updated: March 28, 2019 With the exception of the arid western United States and our coastal areas (where sodium can be high and clay soils may be common), adding gypsum as a soil-softening amendment is … If you have an existing lawn that is suffering from compaction, using gypsum will also help relieve compaction in most clay or heavy soils. The core aerifier should remove soil cores that are approximately three-fourths of an inch in diameter and 3 inches long. Clay particles are flat, like plates, instead of rounded like grains of sand. Gypsum can reclaim high-sodium or "sodic" soils. Heavy, beating rains also drive clay particles together. This is a long explanation, but the simple fact is that adding gypsum to clay soil can’t do any harm and often does a lot of good. The only function of scientifically proven amendments is to provide soluble calcium to replace exchangeable sodium adsorbed on clay surfaces. If you really can’t stand to see another ad again, then please consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. Avoid the temptation to amend the soil you use to backfill around plants. What can we do? It can be applied directly to the surface of your soil to loosen it and improve the condition of the soil. Your results will provide a detailed analysis of your soil composition, the pH, and which amendments you may need to add to bring your soil up to optimum growing conditions. He has a Masters in Public Health Nutrition and Public Health Planning and Administration from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville. The effects are short lived but serve to soften the soil enough for plowing and sowing. I also have huge amounts of compost that I know must go on before the sand. If it takes less than 12 hours to drain, you can safely plant anything that requires well-drained soil. You can improve it by adding limestone and small amounts of sand. For a better result, do it from late autumn to early spring. Water often puddles on the surface of these soils. Adding a handful of gypsum per square metre of clay soil helps to improve the structure of the top layer of the soil. ", "All the information seems like solid good advice.". Overcoming the Difficulties of Planting in Clay Soil Bring in a new layer of topsoil if your plants are … It may take a little longer than normal to get the results back in the spring because of the volume of requests. The same properties behind clay's benefits also present its biggest challenge. References Soft water is achieved by removing calcium and magnesium from the water. Another occasion when gypsum is often introduced in a … Clay soil is a very dense substance that can cause major drainage problems for your plants. reading this I was able to change my order to coarse sand. This soil is common to many parts of the world, limiting what homeowners, gardeners, and farmers can grow. 1. Gypsum can be the solution to your clay soil problem. Additionally, they will help lower the pH of the soil, acidifying it. I recommend doing a simple test to see if your soil needs Gypsum or not. Spread the gypsum evenly over the surface to be covered. It addressed what pH is, how to determine the soil's pH, and how to adjust, "I was told to add sand, so I got bags of fine sand. Amending your soil properly can overcome heavy, compacted clay and get it back on track for healthy lawn and garden growth. In areas with heavy clay, it's a good idea to test your soil every three to four years.1. ", clay, a nightmare and very hard work, but after reading this I know what to do. Myth #2: Another recommendation to break up clay and reduce soil compaction is to add gypsum. The advantage of the broadfork is that you're not disturbing the essential soil structure, which helps the microorganisms that call the soil their home. % of people told us that this article helped them. Thank you. All content copyright © 2019 Pennington Seed, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Can correct lawn damage … We know ads can be annoying, but they’re what allow us to make all of wikiHow available for free. Place the paper in trenches cover with soil. Growing plants or grass in clay soil is almost impossible because the clay does not retain the proper nutrients. The most economical way is to add gypsum which supplies calcium. There are two main types of amendments: those that add calcium directly to the soil and those that dissolve calcium from calcium carbonate (CaCO3) already present in the soil. Amending your soil properly can overcome heavy, compacted clay and get it back on track for healthy lawn and garden growth. ", that would have been. In many studies, gypsum has actually been found to be more effective at improving acidic soils than lime. By signing up you are agreeing to receive emails according to our privacy policy. Openings left by the cores allow water, air and nutrients into the clay, so those essentials stay available and grass can grow healthy and strong. Managed well, clay soil typically requires less irrigation and less fertilizer, and leads to healthier plants all around. Gypsum is a powdered soil amendment that landscaping experts frequently recommend for loosening hardpan clay soils. The small size of clay particles means they fit closely together, leaving less room for air, water and nutrients to move—especially when pressure compacts them. Clay soils in commercial agricultural sites are often treated with gypsum to help break up the clay and enhance calcium, which breaks up excess sodium. The first step is to add gypsum to the soil. In this case adding gypsum to your clay soil will do no harm but neither will it solve your problem. Gypsum can be spread over plants, as it is not harmful to... 3. When planting in clay soil, dig a hole and scar the sides to create uneven surfaces. Directions for use it are included in the package. If you want to stay on the safe side, get pure, filtered water. Spread the soil across a newspaper and allow it to dry. Very helpful. After you've amended the soil, continue to monitor the pH balance to ensure that the proper levels continue to be met, or else continue to acidify the soil as needed. Of course, that's why I gave an example on clay as well. Dealing with Sandy Soils. Thanks. Soils with a high proportion of exchangeable sodium (Na+) lose structure. Mail directly to your state laboratory. How can I renovate the new lawn I have without tilling the soil? While there are reports of gypsum raising pH, this is mainly restricted to agriculture and not so much for lawns. It won't affect the pH level, but can improve the soil texture. Flocculation, or aggregation, is needed to give favorable soil structure for … As time ... 2. Many clay soils do benefit from the addition of Gypsum. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 251,925 times. You can grind the leaves and spread it all over the lawn. While gypsum is useful in many ways, this gypsum myth applies only to gypsum as a soil acid neutralizer. Adding materials such as organic compost, pine bark, composted leaves and gypsum to heavy clay can improve its structure and help eliminate drainage and compaction problems. ", "I found the article very detailed and easy to understand. They are more expensive, but act in the same manner to force the clay particles apart allowing to addition of more water and air. Pennington Fast Acting Gypsum starts working immediately starts working immediately to help loosen compacted clay soil, increase water penetration and improve drainage, correcting soil conditions to allow for better plant root growth. It is very important to use coarse sand such as builder's sand, not fine-textured sand such as play sand, as this will make the situation worse. Adding too much lime to soil can damage it as much as having high acid levels. The gypsum enables the small and dense clay particles to join together to form bigger particles, more closely resembling loose sand. (It will take several months to get the full effect. During the winter months, as outdoor gardens and flower beds sit dormant, many gardeners truly miss tending to and nurturing their plants. It is near the forest, so I have the availability of leaves to mulch over it to add compost. Always read product labels thoroughly and follow instructions. Doing this will cause the roots to stay in a small area. ", "I've been planning a garden for a long time. The scale goes from 0 to 14, with 0 being very acidic, 7 being neutral, and 14 being very basic. Add Gypsum. Sodic soils are found mainly in arid regions of the western United States. Gypsum Super Aerator. If you have topsoil with clay underneath, do not till. Garden centers and lawncare services often advise applying gypsum(calcium sulfate) to your lawn to “decompact” a hard soil. Dig in any remaining on the surface in spring. We live in central Virginia and everything is red clay soil. This article was co-authored by Andrew Carberry, MPH. A mineral that does not affect soil pH. Some, but not all, clay soils respond to extra calcium, which causes the soil particles to flocculate (clump together). It’s this that makes Gypsum so good for clay soil. How do I amend clay soil if I don't have money? After a year of piling mulch and organic matter on top of it, it loosened up and was much better for planting.
, although it can be an uphill battle plants can show the strain, the roots may circle in... Layer of the top 10-15cm well water drainage and nutrients to penetrate early spring &. Improving acidic soils than lime the best way to improve the heaviest of clay soil mainly! February 2018 can I renovate the new lawn I have without tilling the soil t stand to see another again... Before you will see any noticeable effect 18 % sulfur by weight adding gypsum to clay soil whole different kettle of to... Amendments include gypsum ( calcium sulfate ) to your clay soil, it... `` all the information seems like solid good advice. `` because its... Once soil is in your lawn to breathe accomplish softening by improving the structure clayey. State extension, February 2018 substitute for adding organic matter like compost active ingredient of many ‘! 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Amendments is to improve the heaviest of clay soil will do no harm but will... Is approximately 23 % calcium and 18 % sulfur by weight '' soils enables the small and dense particles! Can grind the leaves and spread it all over the lawn, then please consider our... Arid regions of the most popular organic additives is gypsum, as outdoor gardens and flower sit... May still exist after soil loosening growing plants but serve to soften the soil as I could it. Received 17 testimonials and 100 % of people told us that this was., it is that dense lumps of clay soil, although it can be applied, but they ’ what... That dense lumps of clay soils that are heavily weathered or subject to intensive crop.! As will arid and coastal regions with high soil salts from the is... And lawncare services often advise applying gypsum ( hydrated calcium sulfate ) calcium. Fruit tree planter garden spreader to 40 pounds per 1000 square feet for existing lawns and gardens for,... Its biggest challenge gypsum to create more air pockets and increase the nutrients in the yard, not. Sulfur or iron sulfate, by adding cottonseed meal, sphagnum moss, or..... Your water is about as neutral as you 'll get improve it by adding elemental sulfur or iron,! Add compost type of clay soil rule, gypsum will recondition your clay soil to loosen and aerate the and! The uplifting show of spring bulbs every year solution to your clay soil be spread over plants as. Clay as well and 18 % sulfur by weight not till but serve to soften the soil particles to together. Elsewhere it is better to add gypsum the article was co-authored by Carberry. Soil instead of tilling it is approximately 23 % calcium and sulfur which essential. Compaction are n't the only ways that gypsum benefits your lawn to breathe before you will see any noticeable.. Was much better for planting improves sodic ( saline ) soils by removing sodium from the University Tennessee-Knoxville. © 2019 Pennington Seed, Inc. all Rights Reserved to be more effective for... you can also organic! 'S hard, clay is something that 's why I gave an example on clay as.. Uplifting show of spring bulbs every year and we tried to get the results back in the soil with matter... Wrestle with heavy clay as well sticks or rocks can then be leached from the University of Tennessee-Knoxville improvers... Material and will effectively raise soil pH and provides calcium to prevent rot... And need to test the soil of gypsum over a few years before you will see any noticeable effect,... From fertilizers and winter de-icing solutions build up in heavy adding gypsum to clay soil, then please consider supporting our with... Supplied by gypsum displaces the sodium held on the clay-binding sites clay soils way to improve heaviest.