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Skipping the Thistles Stage.

Posts: 58

Location: Aberdeen, WA

posted 10 years ago

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My understanding of Thistles is they require 3 conditions to germinate. compaction, a large supply of nitrate and a lack of calcium.
I would like to skip over Thistles stage in the repair of my soil, I am thinking I will add Gypril (Pelleted Gypsum) or Dolomite Prilled.

I am unsure how much to add per half acre. I am located in Aberdeen Washington west of the cascades and the story around here is everyone has a lack of calcium in the soil.
Clearly one way to get just the right amount of Calcium would be to let the Thistles grow and to chop and drop them,
but I have my non-gardening reasons to just try and skip over the Thistle repair.

R Scott

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Location: Kansas Zone 6a

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posted 10 years ago

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This is one of those areas that a soil test may help.

Generally, it is impossible to get too much gypsum--at least around here.

How big of an area are you trying to deal with?

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Andrew Winsor

Posts: 58

Location: Aberdeen, WA

posted 10 years ago

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R Scott wrote:This is one of those areas that a soil test may help.

Generally, it is impossible to get too much gypsum--at least around here.

How big of an area are you trying to deal with?

3301.08 m²
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0.33 hectares
35532.51 feet²

R Scott

pollinator

Posts: 4022

Location: Kansas Zone 6a

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posted 10 years ago

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General rate here is 1-2 TONS per acre, and some go higher for pelletized (as it is less likely to wash away). That is Kansas clay.

So you are looking at 1600 lbs for the low end.

Andrew Winsor

Posts: 58

Location: Aberdeen, WA

posted 10 years ago

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R Scott wrote:General rate here is 1-2 TONS per acre, and some go higher for pelletized (as it is less likely to wash away). That is Kansas clay.

So you are looking at 1600 lbs for the low end.

OMG at 16$ for 50lbs that is $512.00 and a crap load of time.

Adam Klaus

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Posts: 961

Location: Appalachian Rainforest of NC, 2200' elevation, 85" precip, Zn 7

posted 10 years ago

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Andrew Winsor wrote:\I am thinking I will add Gypril (Pelleted Gypsum) or Dolomite Prilled.

There is a huge difference between the two. In my soils, dolomite would be disasterous, whereas gypsum is very valuable.

I would definitely not apply any soil minerals without a soil test first. A soil test from Logan Labs would cost $20. Money very well spent.

With gypsum it is the hauling and spreading that is the real cost. Tonage is not easy to handle efficiently unless you have lots of labor, or specialized machinery.

All that aside, if your soils are low in calcium, that will be a major limiting factor for desirable species, and overall plant productivity. Legumes, in particular, need calcium to grow well. Calcium enables transport of all other soil minerals, so low calcium will result in mineral deficient forage. This is a big part of the problem with soils in the Deep South, and a big part of why the populations there have been historically malnourished. The Appalachia hillbillies werent dumb, they were malnourished.

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R Scott

pollinator

Posts: 4022

Location: Kansas Zone 6a

284

posted 10 years ago

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This is part of the reason I am switching to free choice mineral for my cows. They naturally eat the minerals that I am deficient in and just happen to deliver them back to the land in nutrient.

But that will take a few years to stabilize.

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