TOPIC: gypsum results question.

I recall people here using gypsum on their ginseng gardens, what percent gypsum and sulfur worked the best for you in increasing calcium level?

guy

Guy

The last three years I've been using the pelletized Gypsum.

Analysis: 60% Calcium Sulphate, CA 24%, Sulphur 14%

I apply it 5 lbs per 100 sq ft.

I've read that some on this forum have been using Bone Meal. But from what I have read recently, is bone meal raises the soils ph. And thats not good.

Gypsum will not raise the ph.

classicfur

Guy

I have found that two applications of gypsum, once in the fall and once in spring, raises the calcium about 1900 ppa. So one application should raise the ca about 950 ppa. This is just what I have found to be true for my soil.

classicfur

I think it's worth a try, best I found here is 20% and 12% at the local co-op. One site is located on the sheild were calcium is low.
Bob Beyfuss suggested in one of his studies a calcium to mag ratio of 10 to 1, this is the first time the calcium needs a boost.

guy

Guy,

What did your Ca test out at ?

Also what about P and K ? also what PH ?

If your soil was quite acid (say 4.0-5.0) and you needed P then bone meal would be Ok.

The guy in Scotts book that grew seng in Australia the soil there was in the 4.0 range on PH and very poor in calcium and other minerals and they supplemented with lime, dolomite, gupsum and bone meal.

The place I have planted so far tested just under 1500 on calcium, but the P was on the low side too (11). The PH was 5.4

I have never heard that bone meal will raise the PH but did some checking on that and it appears to be true.

Considering that I will not be using any more bone meal on my ginseng planting sites. Will stick with gypsum only.

May try to find some other way to supplement P and K - if that is possible without messing with the PH (like possibly some type of organic foliar spray). My PH is ideal in the mid 5's and I would like to keep it that way.

If you guys run across any decent organic way to boost P and K without messing with the PH - let me know.

Thanks

TNhunter

My soil tests show that my pH varries up and down the mountainside. Like Lowest [4.3] at the top, and at the bottom of the beds area is 4.9. I've tried to add accordingly. I've got another set of soil samples out for anaylsis now, and am eagerly awaiting the results.

5\" down, the soil in uniformly low, lower than I'd want; at a pH of 3.9.

My Ca was low as well, so added gypsum in pelletized form to everything.

Whitjr

That is a fairly low ph. But as reported by Beyfuss in Persons book on pg 62-63. His study of vigorous wild ginseng had high calcium levels and an average ph of 5.0 plus or minus 0.7, So the ph was 4.3-5.7

Looks like your soil falls into that range. I don't see a problem with a soil ph of 4.3 But your ph being 3.9 at 5\" down may be a problem, but I don't think so. All of my roots are mostly growing in the top 5\" of soil.

Low ph soil has been shown to help prevent disease.

The seng beds I have here in Maine, have a ph rangeing 4.8-5.2 And I have never had a problem with disease. My plants are growing healthy with this soil ph.

I would like to hear what the new soil tests show.

classicfur

To everyone:

I think that high calcium levels and a ph on the low side is the most important things to growing healthy seng.

I have never added any other nutrients to my beds other than gypsum.

In Persons book, Beyfuss mentions on pg 63:
\"Because nutrient levels of both the major elements(nitrogen, potassium, and phosporus) and the minor nutrients (boron, iron, sulfur, etc.) varied so widely in his samples, Beyfuss further concluded that these other elements are of little significance to the prospective woods grower.\"

I guess what I would like to point out to everyone is: before you go adding any nutrients to your soil other than gypsum(which does not alter the soil ph), Make sure that your soil needs that nurient and what effect it will have on your soil. If you add a nutrient that that is not needed, it could be hard to or impossible to reverse the effects of that nutrient.

Do your research first.

classicfur

Whitjr

Just curiouse to what your calcium level was before adding the gypsum?

Thanks
classicfur

Well, that ans is complicated, at least to me.

I sent a \"controll\" sample in wiith the rest of these last Feb. It was called \"NOTGen\", along with the other samples from up and down the mountainside. These samples are taken at a 4 -5\" depth, and are corresponding to my above post regarding the low pH values.

The \"NOTgen\" sample had a Ca rating of 70.0, incidentily, this was from my veggie garden at home, nowhere near the 'sang beds. It was listed in a %.

From top of the mountainside tpo the bottom af the planted area ranged as follows.
Top: 6.0%
mid: 9.0%
Bottom, both right and left: 10.0%

Here's where it gets complicated to me, at least:

Now, I really don't know what this means to my 'sang beds, as:
a] its deeper than the roots will grow;
and b] what to apply to correct the low values;
and c] do I even need to attempt to correct that soil at that low a depth;
and d] How much of the gypsum and lime are going to wash down the mountain in the next heavy rain w/o being asorbed.

***for those of you that are wondering, I do lay awake at night sometimes thinking up these conundrums**** Laughing....