Agricultural gypsum

What is Agricultural gypsum?

A natural material made of calcium sulfate, used to improve soil and feed the plant with calcium and sulfur. It is one of the most important soil conditioners in areas with salty soil and water, such as Kuwait.

Role of each element

• Calcium: strengthens cell walls in the plant, prevents blossom end rot, and improves fruit firmness and quality.
• Sulfur: involved in forming proteins and chlorophyll, improves leaf greenness, and gives onions and garlic their flavor.

Benefits for the soil

• Reduces the effect of soil salinity: pushes out harmful sodium from around the roots, making it easier to wash away with irrigation water.
• Improves soil structure: breaks up compacted, clayey soil so it becomes more aerated.
• Improves water infiltration into the soil and reduces pooling on the surface.
• Reduces the formation of a hard crust on the soil surface after irrigation.
• Does not raise soil alkalinity, making it suitable for Kuwait's alkaline soil.

Benefits for the plant

• Prevents blossom end rot in tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, eggplant, and watermelon.
• Strengthens roots and helps them spread in the soil.
• Improves fruit firmness and extends storage life after harvest.
• Reduces salinity damage to the plant.
• Improves leaf greenness thanks to sulfur.

When should I use it?

• When preparing the soil before planting.
• If the soil or irrigation water is salty.
• If black or brown spots appear on the ends of fruits.
• If the soil is compacted and water pools on its surface after irrigation.

How to use

• Before planting: scatter the gypsum over the soil surface and mix it well into the top layer at a depth of 10 to 20 cm.
• For planted plants: scatter it around the plant, a little away from the stem, and mix it lightly into the soil surface.
• Then water heavily so the gypsum dissolves and washes the salts away from the roots.
• Repeat the application every 3 to 6 months depending on the soil condition.

Quantities

• Small to medium pot (20 to 30 cm): one tablespoon.
• Large pot: two to three tablespoons.
• Vegetable and flower beds: 100 to 200 g per square meter.
• Grass (turf): 100 g per square meter.
• Trees and shrubs: 250 to 500 g per tree depending on its size, spread around the perimeter of the tree's shade.
• Farms: 100 to 200 kg per 1000 square meters.

In highly saline soil, the quantity can be doubled for the first application, then return to the normal quantity. One tablespoon equals approximately 15 g.

Important tips

• Heavy irrigation after application is necessary, because gypsum works with water to wash away salts.
• Gypsum dissolves slowly, and results appear gradually over weeks.
• It does not replace fertilizer, as it is a soil conditioner and a source of calcium and sulfur only.
• For best results, use it together with humic acid to further improve the soil.

Storage and safety

• Store in a dry place away from moisture, closing the package tightly after each use.
• Keep out of reach of children and pets.
• Avoid inhaling dust during use, and wash your hands afterward.