How to re-amend?

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Wetdog

Well-Known Member
I mean, an expanded 3.8cf bale comes out to ~4.5 cf (it expands, but does NOT double in size, or even comes close), and most of a 4cf bag of perlite, plus everything else that goes in there comes out to ~10cf of fresh mix.

This is a rough amount I use for figuring buying stuff. The old 4cf bales of peat worked just about perfect for the 4cf bags of perlite.
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
Rasta Roy said:
As long as you just use plain water I wouldn't expect any lockout, you'll be pretty depleted. If you do experience any lockout the first thing I would check is your soil pH. You would prolly just need to add some sulfur but you might never need to.
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Reading over this thread this morning as I'm coming to a close and starting up some more beds. Would you suggest I use gypsum instead of OSF? If so at what rate per cu ft and how often to re apply?
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Not RR, but there is a point to be made and essential you grasp it.

Gypsum can NOT be used in place of OSF, Dolomite, or other liming agents. It pretty much has ZERO effect on soil pH, so disregard it in that light. It IS a great Ca source, but is the wrong form of Ca to affect pH.

What *I* do that saves a whole lot of confusion in the long run is, treat my liming agent (dolomite in my case), as totally separate from anything else in my mix. Not part of a 'mineral mix', rock dusts, or other amendments. It's just added and calculated for pH buffering and nothing else.

The gypsum is considered along with the other minerals and rock dusts and such. It gets added when making a mix and fairly regular top dressings throughout the season. It is my go-to Ca source, along with the sulfur.

It is an amendment rather than a required ingredient like lime, if that makes sense.
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
Not RR, but there is a point to be made and essential you grasp it.

Gypsum can NOT be used in place of OSF, Dolomite, or other liming agents. It pretty much has ZERO effect on soil pH, so disregard it in that light. It IS a great Ca source, but is the wrong form of Ca to affect pH.

What *I* do that saves a whole lot of confusion in the long run is, treat my liming agent (dolomite in my case), as totally separate from anything else in my mix. Not part of a 'mineral mix', rock dusts, or other amendments. It's just added and calculated for pH buffering and nothing else.

The gypsum is considered along with the other minerals and rock dusts and such. It gets added when making a mix and fairly regular top dressings throughout the season. It is my go-to Ca source, along with the sulfur.

It is an amendment rather than a required ingredient like lime, if that makes sense.
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Respect. What a good definition you broke it down to thank you. How much are you adding to your mix so there isn't too much calcium?
 
W

Wetdog

Well-Known Member
Thai_Lights said:
Respect. What a good definition you broke it down to thank you. How much are you adding to your mix so there isn't too much calcium?
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I add ~1/2cup/cf to the initial mix and do VERY light top dresses, more or less, monthly when actively growing. Also do kelp meal in a similar fashon, but stagger the two. Like, TD gypsum, 2 weeks later, TD kelp meal. Two weeks after that, gypsum again and so on.

Lime, to buffer, is added to the initial mix and it is usually ~2 years before more buffering is needed. Even then, I will check the soils pH from several 'corings' before adding more. If the pH is in a good range, there is no need to try and 'fix' it.
 
Thai_Lights

Thai_Lights

Well-Known Member
Wetdog said:
I add ~1/2cup/cf to the initial mix and do VERY light top dresses, more or less, monthly when actively growing. Also do kelp meal in a similar fashon, but stagger the two. Like, TD gypsum, 2 weeks later, TD kelp meal. Two weeks after that, gypsum again and so on.

Lime, to buffer, is added to the initial mix and it is usually ~2 years before more buffering is needed. Even then, I will check the soils pH from several 'corings' before adding more. If the pH is in a good range, there is no need to try and 'fix' it.
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Thank you my friend. I was digging doing some late night reading on another forum and on page 30 I found some writing you did on gypsum
 
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