Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

permaculture - [permaculture] gypsum and soil compaction?

permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: permaculture

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Green Singer <greenmansinger@hotmail.com>
  • To: <permaculture@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [permaculture] gypsum and soil compaction?
  • Date: Tue, 9 Feb 2010 22:24:20 -0500


Hey folks,

I've been a lurker for a while, but I've finally got a question that I want
to put out to the larger group: I'm working on a new home construction site,
surrounded by relatively flat, compacted soil. The owner wants to create
orchards and gardens, and I'm encouraging him to look at silvipasture as
well, at least in his long-term plan. He's building in what is these days
considered 'traditional' style--stick-built, tight envelope, sheet rock--and
the latter is where the interesting part begins. I've heard that gypsum is a
helpful soil amendment for restructuring soil, and it was pointed out to me
before I'd worked with it much that sheetrock is basically pure gypsum,
pressed into boards. So, does anyone know:

1) If there are any safety concerns (additives, etc.) to using sheetrock?

2) How much volume per area is appropriate? I seem to remember the numbers
being pretty high.

*3) How the heck to get those damned boards back into powdered form?*

While my employer is in some ways very much on board with 'sustainability',
he's still importing all of his building materials, and creating a lot of
waste. A great way to illustrate "closing loops" would be to turn one of his
waste streams into an input, which I know would please him greatly--he
already had the idea, though he thought it was lime and just generally good
for gardens, and was thinking of renting a wood-chipper, but didn't know if
it would survive.

Anyone have any experience with any of any of this?

Thanks!

Marvin Warren
Finger Lakes bioregion

_________________________________________________________________
Hotmail: Powerful Free email with security by Microsoft.
http://clk.atdmt.com/GBL/go/201469230/direct/01/


  • [permaculture] gypsum and soil compaction?, Green Singer, 02/09/2010

Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page