Evenin all.

Some assistance please. I'm trying to buy some gypsum powder, as in for breaking up heavy, clay type ground. My local agricultural outlet has dolomite & lime in stock, however I can't get them to understand gypsum. Can anyone recommend a Thai script name or some way I can try & source.

I'm in Sakon Nakhon province.

Thanks all in advance.

I suggest broadening your options... why not try producing your own biochar. Much bigger bang for your buck (or free, if you have biomass & time). Check out WarmHeart activity near Chiang Mai.

malt25

Have a word with farmerjo ,he brought some 18 months ago , from a place in  Saraburi  province ,he lives near Khon Kaen.

 Gypsum is the same word the Thai's use , with a rising tone ,if you have one ,it is in an English -Thai  Dictionary.

Unless ,as you live in Issan  it is a diffrent word .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gypsum ,

Thai's pronounce gypsum with a "y".... yipsum.

 

And they know you can make ceilings with it.

 

So they may wonder why you want to cover your soil with yipsum!  

If your only after a small amount,Global House carry it at most of their stores.

22 hours ago, JungleBiker said:

Thai's pronounce gypsum with a "y".... yipsum.

 

And they know you can make ceilings with it.

 

So they may wonder why you want to cover your soil with yipsum!  

I  would almost  agree  you ,before  I come  LOS gypsum  as you said ,was  put on the walls and celing of my  house in the uk,never herd  of it being put on the land ,but FJ  seems to be getting some results ,so may   be some thing in it ,as we know  gypsum contains a lot of  calcium   ,anything  put on this  almost dead Thai  land will do it a lot of good.

The op's land is clay, a couple  of crops of green manure  ,would also  do the land some good. 

Gypsum, quick lime and even cement are recommended for breaking down heavy soils . Basically these substances cause the platelets of clay minerals to clump together thus making the soil workable.

However I have always hesitated to use these as clay is already alkaline and adding even more doesn't seem to be a good idea. 

Biochar, although it is great stuff, will also increase the alkalinity of the soil.

 

For over 40 years my solution has been to add quartz sand, that is, river sand, which is slightly acidic. I have never worked it in, just distributed it around 1 to 2 cm thick and let it work itself in over time (weeding, digging, planting).

Our garden can now be used in summer when it would otherwise bake hard as a brick, and in the rainy season when it used to turn into a disgusting sticky goo. There is still a corner where I need to add a little but otherwise it is a pleasure to work with.

Green crops: this keeps coming up as a solution. Any organic material in this country that is worked into the soil will have completely disappeared in a month or two. THAT, or it will just sulk beneath an impermeable layer of clay and not do any good at all. I knew a resident gardener in Switzerland that dug in cow manure every winter for many years and he couldn't understand why the soil wasn't improving.

 

Anyway farmers will evidently disagree as large areas need other solutions.

 

Since applying gypsum,subsoiling and continuously mowing my heavy clay land,nature is now playing its part.

The worms are coming to play.

I have one area of about 3 rai that is taking a lot longer to respond,i might try some sand on there.

Where would the best place be to get the sand.

Builders supply but make sure it's acidic (I use Vixol cleanser, 20% hydrochloric acid, if it doesn't fizz, it's acidic).

Thanks for that,will try a small area as a test along side some gypsum.

Only thing that concerns me Cooked is the price,as a guesstimate you would be looking at around 25 ton/rai.

 

 

4 hours ago, farmerjo said:

The worms are coming to play.

Cast of 1000's?