Too much calcium?

[morpheus83uk]

Hello,

I am wondering if I have too much calcium. I have varying information from the Internet about too much calcium being fine others saying if it's more than 50% of the soil it will dry out quicker.

I have alot of clay in my garden so I am applying gypsum to enable drainage which is working really well. I am also applying home made compost. This is only once each year.

Am I going to have a problem with calcium or am I counteracting it with the compost?

Thanks

James

 

[JohnD]

We usually say lime.

A limey soil will eat up whatever compost or manure you add rather quickly, and is unsuitable for some plants, such as Azelias. Lots of people live with it quite happily. On limey clay I like to add compost or muck as a mulch, it will rot down and the worms will take it so it will be gone in a year. It also suppresses weeds which is good. It needs to be several inches thick, you can do the same with lawn mowings. By covering the soil it will prevent it baking dry in summer.

Your gypsum will improve the texture of the clay and make it more granular, unless you have a vast amount, sprinkle and rake it into the surface before you plant and mulch. It is difficult to mix in if the clay is wet or compacted.

 

[morpheus83uk]

Thanks for the reply. I only started adding the gypsum last year when I took two hours to dig up alot of clay so I added a fair amount to the clay and it has made things easier to work with and drainage has been much improved. I have also added around 140 litres of compost onto the borders (it's only a small garden) which I am digging in over time as I still have quite a bit on the surface. On my lawn front and back as well as the borders I am using about 50 kg for all of it maybe a bit less. Which I believe isn't that much.

I read that 3 years worth of treatment is all that's really needed for clay when using the correct amounts after that yiu can go to just organic matter. Is this the case?

When you say lime do you mean that it counteracts the calcium or its the same as having too much calcium?

I have also read that the compost will bring magnesium and cancel out the alkaline ph of the calcium is this correct?

Thanks

James

 

[JohnD]

Garden lime is calcium carbonate.

Same as limescale in a kettle, limestone, marble, chalk, pearls, eggshells.

 

[morpheus83uk]

Ah right different sites say different things you see which is why I was confused.

So just keep doing what I am doing and adding lots of compost will help with the gypsum I am putting in?

Would I also need to add more top soil at any point or would what I am doing now suffice?

Thanks

James