# Gypsum



## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Good article on use of gypsum

http://www.farmanddairy.com/news/gypsum-mineral-help-balance-others/216993.html


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Yep, first two semi loads this fall of gypsum are supposed to come tomorrow unless we get a frog drowner tonight.


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## NewBerlinBaler (May 30, 2011)

What does gypsum do to soil PH? Raise it? Lower it? No effect?

If the gypsum comes from the exhaust stacks of coal-fired power plants, I wonder what the organic certifying agencies think of it?

Gary


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## slowzuki (Mar 8, 2011)

I didn't read the article but so far we can't buy it here locally, its just landfilled. The FGD gypsum has a few % unreacted lime in it so it would lower acidity a bit. I'm not sure about other contaminants, many plants have an electrostatic precipitator or baghouse before to pickup flyash including unburned carbon and heavy metals. The material from this often gets reinjected to the boiler to reburn the carbon off and tends to concentrate heavy metals in the bottom ash of the boiler before the FGD.

Mainly sulfur(combined with oxygen) reacts in the gypsum but there is a wet esp after the FGD process that I seem to remember grabs thing that bypasses the FGD, so some % of that would have to end up in the gypsum.



NewBerlinBaler said:


> What does gypsum do to soil PH? Raise it? Lower it? No effect?
> 
> If the gypsum comes from the exhaust stacks of coal-fired power plants, I wonder what the organic certifying agencies think of it?
> 
> Gary


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

NewBerlinBaler said:


> If the gypsum comes from the exhaust stacks of coal-fired power plants, I wonder what the organic certifying agencies think of it?
> 
> Gary


See comments at the end of the article.

Regards, Mike.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

Pure gypsum (CaSO4 . 2H2O) would have little effect on soil pH. However, an unmentioned benefit of gypsum applied to acid soils is the removal of subsoil aluminum (Al3+) in soils wherein the pH is below 5.5. The Ca replaces the aluminum on the clay edges and the displaced aluminum combines with the SO4 to form aluminum sulfate that slowly moves deeper into the soil with water movement. In trials viewed in South Africa, long-term experimentation showed corn roots moving down about one meter (39+ inches) into the subsoil compared to tests where no gypsum had been applied.

As previously mentioned, FGD gypsum may contain some unreacted lime that can raise soil pH (decrease acidity), but excess application of FGD gypsum could have a negative effect of pH- lowering pH because of the salt effect on measured pH. A very dilute amount of salt added to the water used to test pH in the laboratory will cause pH to decline compared to pH measured in distilled water.


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## Hugh (Sep 23, 2013)

Some point about gypsum:




Gypsum does not usually change soil acidity, though occasional reports of both increasing and decreasing pH exist;



Gypsum can increase leaching of aluminum, which can detoxify soils but also contaminates nearby watersheds;



Gypsum can increase leaching of iron and manganese, leading to deficiencies of these nutrients;



Gypsum applied to acid soils can induce magnesium deficiency in plants on site;



Gypsum applied to sandy soils can depress phosphorus, copper and zinc transport;



Gypsum can have negative effects on mycorrhizal inoculation of roots, which may account for

several reports of negative effects of gypsum on tree seedling establishment and survival;



Gypsum is variable in its effects on mature trees;



Gypsum will not improve fertility of acid or sandy soils;



Gypsum will not improve water holding capacity of sandy soils; and



Gypsum's effects are short-lived (often a matter of months)


see: http://puyallup.wsu.edu/~linda%20chalker-scott/horticultural%20myths_files/Myths/Gypsum.pdf


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

I was hoping to get a couple loads for two different properties, didn't get a frog drowner but an inch was more than enough to prevent any trucks from dumping at either farm.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

There is a gypsum bedding additive for dairy use I have seen advertised. Kinda like a alternative to hydrated lime


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

mlappin said:


> Yep, first two semi loads this fall of gypsum are supposed to come tomorrow unless we get a frog drowner tonight.


How much is it? if you dont mind my asking

There isn't any around here


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## RockmartGA (Jun 29, 2011)

From the article in the first post:

"One of the reasons researchers believe the soil needs gypsum - which contains sulfur - is because the Clean Air Act and tighter regulation of industry has reduced the amount of sulfur in the atmosphere, which has reduced the amount in rain entering farmers' fields."

Remember when the big environmental scare was "acid rain"? Now we find out the soil needs sulfur.

Somewhere between the two extremes of hysterical environmentalists and big business is the truth.


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## 8350HiTech (Jul 26, 2013)

RockmartGA said:


> From the article in the first post:
> 
> "One of the reasons researchers believe the soil needs gypsum - which contains sulfur - is because the Clean Air Act and tighter regulation of industry has reduced the amount of sulfur in the atmosphere, which has reduced the amount in rain entering farmers' fields."
> 
> ...


Sulfur in the air (and eventually in our water) is still bad. Just because you may need to add some sulphur to your fertilizer doesn't make the Clean Air Act wrong. You need to add P and K to your soil too and I don't hear anyone asking to launch them into the atmosphere.


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## endrow (Dec 15, 2011)

Roundabout talk gypsum incorporated into animal bedding has caused manure pits to emit a lethal gas during agitation responsible for several deaths.


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## mlappin (Jun 25, 2009)

Bgriffin856 said:


> How much is it? if you dont mind my asking
> 
> There isn't any around here


$36/ton including hauling and spreading.


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## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

mlappin said:


> $36/ton including hauling and spreading.


Seems like a pretty decent deal


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## PaCustomBaler (Nov 29, 2010)

I've only used it to build deficient base saturation calcium levels up whenever pH levels are fine. It helps the western states fight chemical compaction induced by aluminum and salts. Adds porosity to soil, makes a heavy soil lighter.


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