How to Add Plant-Available Calcium with Gypsum
We don't give calcium enough attention compared to nitrogen, phosphorous, and potassium. It's strange we don't talk about calcium more because calcium is critical for all other nutrient uptake. If you're missing calcium, then other nutrients are going to be missing, too. Let's talk about how what calcium does and how to add calcium to your soil with gypsum.
The Role of Calcium in Plants
Calcium does many important things in plants. It is essential for creating cell walls and membranes. If you don't have calcium, then the plant doesn't create it's structure well. Calcium also helps with proper enzyme functioning in plants. It even helps plants when they are in stress, such as drought or high temperatures.
Calcium Deficiency
The most common calcium deficiency is when you get blossom end rot on tomatoes or peppers. This is because these plants cannot redistribute calcium via their phloem.
The phloem is the vascular tissue that mainly delivers the plant's food. These certain plants, like tomatoes and peppers, must rely on their xylem and what calcium is immediately available. If calcium isn't immediately available in the soil, you can get blossom end rot.
Another calcium deficiency symptom you might encounter would be cracking of tomato fruits. This usually occurs because of hypo-osmotic shock during high humidity or high rainfall. Calcium can leach out of the soil.
Calcium Haters and Lovers
Certain plants don't respond to calcium. Let's say they actually hate calcium. Plants that thrive in acidic conditions usually are the calcium haters. We call these plants, calcifuges. Think of plants like azaealas, rhododendrons and blueberries.
On the other hand, some plants respond well to calcium. They grow in calcareous soils. We refer to these plants as calcicole plants. Think of beets, spinach, and ash trees.
Adding Calcium to the Soil Via Gypsum
The only way to know for sure if you're missing calcium is if you perform a soil test. Otherwise, you will be doing some kind of guesswork. Also, is it necessary to add calcium at all? It depends on what you're growing. If you're growing blueberries, then you probably don't have to worry about it. If you're growing tomatoes and you have had blossom end rot before, then you might want to add some calcium to the soil.
Gypsum is a great way to add calcium to the soil because it is fast-acting. It has numerous other benefits as listed below:
Improves soil structure, especially in clay soil.
Decreases sodium in sodic soil.
Prevents soil crust and helps seeds emerge.
Helps low solute water penetrate the soil.
Alleviates soil compaction.
Prevents water runoff and erosion.
Decreases pH of sodic soils.
Increases pH of acidic soils.
Prevents swelling of clay soils.
Prevents waterlogging of soils.
Removes excessive boron from sodic soils.
Increases effectiveness of water soluble polymers.
Decreases excessive and toxic magnesium, often found in serpentine soils.
Decreases aluminum levels in subsoils and increases subsoil pH.
Enhances effects of soil liming.
When you buy a gypsum product, follow the recommended rates. If you want to use the Grower Achiever system, consider giving a tablespoon of gypsum to your plants once a month. You can also book a consultation and we can come up with a personalized plan to incorporate gypsum in your growing routine.
Conclusion
Gypsum can boost your soil's health and your yields especially if you use it where calcium might be deficient. As we can see, it has a wide range of benefits for your plants and your soil. If you want even more information about gypsum, check out this link at Iowa State University.