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permaculture - Re: [permaculture] composting sheetrock/gypsum wallboard?

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  • From: Dennis Argall <dennisargall@bigpond.com>
  • To: permaculture <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [permaculture] composting sheetrock/gypsum wallboard?
  • Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 11:31:52 +1100


On 13/03/2005, at 9:21 AM, Toby Hemenway wrote:

And as noted, it is mostly gypsum, which is good at lightening clay soil.
Gypsum (CaSo4) also releases dilute sulfuric acid when mixed with water, so
it will acidify soil considerably (and is used as such in ag--the opposite
of lime)

Toby
www.patternliteracy.com


Hi Tony and thanks for correcting my remembered expectation of raising pH. ... You sent me googling gypsum soil pH though and the results from that tend to suggest that the effect is pH neutral.

There is a good piece here on using gypsum to treat saline soils.
http://virtual.clemson.edu/groups/turfornamental/ Irrigation%20Water%20Quality/overcoming_high_sodium.htm

I agree entirely with the idea of breaking it up, not using as sheet.

You mentioned the longevity of carpet as mulch. I would also note that some some small herb growers in Australia many years ago went into using old carpet, only to discover to their horror that the old carpet importation had brought unacceptable levels of long lasting pesticides into the garden.

cheers

Dennis
www.aplaceof.info





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