North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Jim Fruth" <jfruth@tds.net>]

John Barbowski wrote:  "I have heavy clay - read concrete! I have been 
working it for 30 years."


John,
   There is a faster way to soften clay soils.  In California's San Joaquin 
Valley, much of the soil is adobe clay.  When it is dry, a pick-axe can't 
penetrate it.  Farmers soften it by applying Gypsum (CaSO4).  Gypsum works 
really good.  The soil becomes workable and they can grow nearly anything in 
it.
   There is one big problem with adding gypsum though - there is a tendency 
to add too much.  Too many free sulfate radicals contribute to acidity.  One 
Merced, California, farmer I worked with had the idea that if a little 
worked great, alot should be better and his crop production kept going down. 
By the time he called me fields that used to be slightly alkaline had as low 
as pH 5.4.
   To continue the story, I recommended he add lime but that was a problem. 
The problem was that agricultural lime wasn't available in the area.  We 
finally managed to buy hydrated lime from one of the wineries.  The last I 
heard, the farmer's production was going up again.

Jim Fruth
Brambleberry Farm
Pequot Lakes, MN  56472
For jams, jellies & syrups:
www.bberryfarm.com
(877)265-6856 [Store]
(218)831-7018 [My Cell]