jon@shell.UUCP (Jon M. Holdman) (01/28/86)
The gardening book I have suggests adding gypsum to improve heavy clay soils. The name of the book is (I think) Vegetable Gardening for Southern Gardens. I don't have it handy and can't remember the publisher or author. I'm trying this on our wonderful Houston gumbo this year. I bought a bag of powdered gypsum as a garden store, but I suspect old wallboard would work ok if it was crushed some. Jon M. Holdman, Shell Development Company
tarnopol@ttidcb.UUCP (Lewis Tarnopol) (01/31/86)
In article <132@shell.UUCP> jon@shell.UUCP (Jon M. Holdman) writes: >The gardening book I have suggests adding gypsum to improve heavy clay >soils. The name of the book is (I think) Vegetable Gardening for >Southern Gardens. I don't have it handy and can't remember the >publisher or author. I'm trying this on our wonderful Houston gumbo >this year. I bought a bag of powdered gypsum as a garden store, but I >suspect old wallboard would work ok if it was crushed some. > >Jon M. Holdman, Shell Development Company NO NO NO!!!! Small amounts of gypsum increase the heavy clay soils ability to drain, but this is a quick fix. It changes the PH factor some too. In some cases, sand mixed in heavy clay creates 'cement'. The best soil amendment is organic matter (compost, peat moss, redwood chips, etc) These have the ability to open up pores in heavy clay for air to exist. I live in So. Cal. with heavy clay soil in my garden. It is now at least 50% organic amendments, a little sand, and a little perlite. It works great! (I have raised beds using the Square Foot Gardening technique) Don't use wallboard; it's not the same - it contains binders you wouldn't want in your soil. Uncle Lew -- -_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_- Lewis Tarnopol Citicorp/TTI 3100 Ocean Park Blvd. Santa Monica, CA 90405 (213) 450-9111, ext. 3082 {philabs,randvax,trwrb,vortex}!ttidca!ttidcb!tarnopol