Gypsum

[Woldtopper]

Has anybody any experience on using liquid gypsum?
Any benefit? Worth the money?

 

[Brisel]

Tell me more about it please. Is this something you put through a sprayer like a trace element tonic at a litre or three/ha?

I'm looking at bulk solid gypsum to help balance high magnesium clays - that's a numbers game where achieving this goal means tens of tonnes/ha required. @l'ordinary bonville uses a lot of bulk gypsum from the same supplier as me.

 

[PSQ]

For any soil effect on clays it is usually applied in tonnes per Ha, and it’s usually FoC from the supplier with only haulage and application cost to contend with.

If it’s being applied from a can then it would need to have a proven margin over cost, in order to stop you from pointing and laughing hysterically at the salesman.

 

[juke]

Tell me more about it please. Is this something you put through a sprayer like a trace element tonic at a litre or three/ha?

I'm looking at bulk solid gypsum to help balance high magnesium clays - that's a numbers game where achieving this goal means tens of tonnes/ha required. @l'ordinary bonville uses a lot of bulk gypsum from the same supplier as me.

Agrovista are pushing it as part of their inovations range, autumn application straight after harvest through the sprayer. I can't remember exactly what the claim was but supposed to be more effective than powdered gypsum in increasing flocculation.

 

[Brisel]

Agrovista are pushing it as part of their inovations range, autumn application straight after harvest through the sprayer. I can't remember exactly what the claim was but supposed to be more effective than powdered gypsum in increasing flocculation.

Hmm. I can see a small benefit from some readily available calcium and sulphur but the calcium requirement to displace magnesium is a big quantity. Tonnes/ha not grammes/ha.

 

[Lincsman]

Has anybody any experience on using liquid gypsum?
Any benefit? Worth the money?

Unless its several tanker loads/acre, then no., solid ex plasterboard stuff is available free at some times of the year when field tipping is impossible.

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

We started using liquid gypsum last year. About 5l/ha through the sprayer when applying glyphosate to stale seedbeds/covers etc.

Its effect should be more rapid than solid, hence i'm doing both for short term gain and longer term soil correction

 

[teslacoils]

We started using liquid gypsum last year. About 5l/ha through the sprayer when applying glyphosate to stale seedbeds/covers etc.

Its effect should be more rapid than solid, hence i'm doing both for short term gain and longer term soil correction

At what point, years or tons, do you think solid starts to make a difference?

 

[Chalky]

As stated its a numbers game. Gypsum works by substitution of ions I believe, so as there are an awful lot of Mg+ions in the soil you are working, surely to have an effect, you need to supply an awful lot of Ca2+ ions substitute for them and make the Mg soluble to leach away as mag sulphate and leave the Ca in place. Cannot see how there can be that many Ca ions in 5L/ha as opposed to 10000kg/ha...

BTW 10t/ha does a grand job on heavy marsh clays by the Humber. We imported loads(grant aided) to rectify the 2013 Humber tidal inundation.

 

[l'ordinary bonville]

At what point, years or tons, do you think solid starts to make a difference?

After much calculations, modelling, discussions with experts etc

I’m buggered if I know

 

[teslacoils]

BTW 10t/ha does a grand job on heavy marsh clays by the Humber. We imported loads(grant aided) to rectify the 2013 Humber tidal inundation.

10t/ha does not sound like a lot. I can see a difference where it was stockpiled here but that must have had a fair rate per hectare effectively.

 

[Lincsman]

At what point, years or tons, do you think solid starts to make a difference?

Solid shows a difference after about 6 months depending on the rainfall washing it in or cultivations to incorporate and gets better over a few years. (this is at 10t/ACRE)

 

[teslacoils]

Solid shows a difference after about 6 months depending on the rainfall washing it in or cultivations to incorporate and gets better over a few years. (this is at 10t/ACRE)

So five years worth for us mere mortals.

 

[Chalky]

Maybe it was 10t/ac...

It was a while ago-either way you could tell through crumbing of the soil.

 

[teslacoils]

Any idea if it's best mixed in, or left in top to percolate through?

 

[DrWazzock]

Drag it, as with lime.

 

[Chalky]

We disced and pressed as shallow as simbas would do and do a job 3-4 inches??

This stuff was not recycled it was first use stuff I believe, not that it should matter calcium sulphate is calcium sulphate. Years ago Tioxide used to supply that red stuff which was hopeless bar the sulphur 'but it was free'!!!

If we had not put all our heavy sea level stuff into AD grass leys, would still use it. Grass is doing far more than the gypsum ever would.

 

[teslacoils]

Yes, the trioxide was awful. I walked some land that was for sale maybe ten years ago and you could still see lumps of it.

I spread some gypsum on the grass for the "double win". Best bit about the grass is you can take and spread at more cost effective times of the year.

 

[Luke Cropwalker]

Has anybody any experience on using liquid gypsum?
Any benefit? Worth the money?

I suspect it is the kind of scenario where there is only 1 winner, and that is not the farmer, again.

 

[Lincsman]

Yes, the trioxide was awful. I walked some land that was for sale maybe ten years ago and you could still see lumps of it.

I spread some gypsum on the grass for the "double win". Best bit about the grass is you can take and spread at more cost effective times of the year.

I can still find red lumps in mine when ploughing... my hope/theory is its still supplying sulphur, where they had the heaps its still very crumbly.