Gypsum for Vegetables
Gypsum has been found to be very useful source of Calcium for vegetable which are grown in acidic soils to help control common scab.
Gypsum applications to the soil can help improve soil structure leading to better drainage. (see details here). This enables a larger window of work across the year for arable operations to commence resulting in the cultivations, planting and harvesting to take place when you want it to and not when the weather dictates you. It can also help to increase the water-holding capacity during dry spells or through the summer leading o less hardness and cracking from compacted and backed soils benefiting plant growth.
Trials conducted by WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme) on potatoes near Woodbridge on the suffolk coast to have shown that applying recycled gypsum can improved crop quality – reducing growth cracks and improving skin finish as well as increasing sulphate content in the soil. The overall quality of the potatoes on the treated areas of the field were higher than the untreated with growth cracks significantly reduced in occurrence and size. Skin finish and bloom appearance where also much improved, leading to a brighter and more marketable potato.
Trial details can be seen here.
For More details on Gypsum or to speak to an advisor please contact the office here or a field advisor directly here.
Other qualities of Gypsum are:
- Improves soil structure
- Reclaims saline soils
- Prevents soil Crusting / Aids seed emergence
- Applied to the surface before heavy rain or irrigation to prevent crusting of the soil and aid seed emergence.
- Improves compacted soils
- Cultivations to wet or moist soils more accessible
- Soils treated with gypsum have a wider range of soil moisture levels where it is safe to work before there is danger of compaction or de-flocculation.
- Stops water run off and Erosion
- Improves water infiltration rates into soils and enables the water carrying capacity to remain high to prevent erosion when rapid rainfall occurs.
- Prevents water logging of soil
- Gypusm prevents the water logging of soil by enabling the soil to maintain a good structure which doesn’t contain to much sodium resulting in the swelling of clay and excess water.
- Enables organic matter to bind to clay.
- Organic matter when applied with gypsum is able to bind on the the clay more available due to the calcium.
- Helps plants absorb nutrients
- Calcium is essential to the mechanisms by which most plant nutrients are absorbed by roots, High levels of Calcium are supplied in gypsum.
- Good source of sulphur to soils
For More details on Gypsum or to speak to an advisor please contact the office here or a field advisor directly here.