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Midway, UT

This question is probably more appropriate for the Soil Analysis section but I wanted to open it to a larger audience. I started a new 1,200 sq foot patch this last October and added 4 yards of Class A poultry compost that I purchased from a local source. Before adding the compost I had a soil test done and the report showed very low sodium levels. It turns out that my Class A compost wasn't so Class A. My sodium levels are now very high. Nothing else that I have spoon fed to the patch could have caused this kind of an increase. Irrigation water has very low sodium. Any suggestions on what I should do? A lot of the reading I have done on sodic soils says to add gypsum and flush the soil (although my soil has a relatively high amounts of gypsum in it).

Numbers from my soil report:
Organic Matter: 6.3%
Magnesium: 692ppm
Calcium: 2739ppm
Sodium: 958ppm
Sulfur: 702ppm
Ph: 7.6 (buffered 7.4)
CEC: 32.3
Cation Saturation: K 27.3, Mg 17.6, Ca 42.3, Sodium 12.9

Any suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated since there are only 5-6 weeks until planting time.

3/25/2009 10:26:52 AM

Windsor, Ontario, Canada

If your irrigation water has low sodium FOR SURE then the only way I know of removing sodium is to allow it to leach out of the soil. The best way to do this would be to water your soil repeatedly. I can't recommend frequency, but I would say (aside from leaching other things you may have already added) that the more the better.

You will compact the top layer of soil a bit, but assuming you still have to till, that shouldn't be an issue.

The reason to make SURE you water is not high in salts is that if it is high in salts, this solution would....well it wouldn't be a solution, lol.

3/25/2009 1:02:51 PM

Pocatello ([email protected])

Do you have a number for Ece? Just curious...

3/25/2009 3:08:45 PM

Midway, UT

No Ece in the report.

3/25/2009 4:48:50 PM

Garden State Pumpkins

If the soil drainage is good right through the root zone. I would add gypsum to elevate your calcium levels which are low according to your saturation level and help leach out the sodium..no use in putting the sodium layer to four inches down and thinking that's a good spot...you must drain through the root zone...Wait for more informed sources on this subject but that is the way I would go.
GrowEmBig! Chuck

3/25/2009 5:40:20 PM

Midway, UT

Any suggestions on how much Gypsum to put down and for how long I should run the irrigation? From the reading I have done it sounds like it is best to run the irrigation hard and then let let things dry out before running it again so the soil doesn't become anerobic. I ran the sprinklers on both planting spots for 1 hour on each planting area on Saturday but I have no idea how much water it would take to flush the sodium. My clay soils seem to drain fairly well. Except for one compacted area I got very little to no pooling.

3/25/2009 6:43:28 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Before I did all this I would take a second sample. A soil sample was once refered to me like tasting a pot of soup with an eye dropper. Only used for reference

3/25/2009 7:28:43 PM

Lloydminster/AB

Gypsum works well but you need that EC to know if you have a problem. Ag pumpkins seem to tolerate a fair amount of salts. Do another test and get a EC. I think all the advice given is good. Once upon a time I had a patch with a high EC and a little time and a lot of gypsum fixed the EC reading but the patch still grew pumpkins the same.Lol

3/25/2009 7:59:03 PM

Midway, UT

Done the two soil tests already. Both of them showed high sodium. I think what I will do is try doing a few good flushes and then do another soil test to get the EC and see what the flushes have done. Just heard that mother nature is going to help with the flushes. 15 inches of snow tomorrow in the forecase. We've been spoiled with warm weather this winter.

3/25/2009 8:27:43 PM

San Diego, Ca.

Arvadaboy, I've had to deal with very high sodium levels too. You're going to need alot of water. This link should help you out. I don't know how much gypsum you will need but it will flush through to soil easily with as much water as they say you need to use.

www.ext.colostate.edu/pubs/Crops/00503.html

A&L labs told me when you do your leaching you must do it all at one time so the salt keeps moving deeper.

It worked for my soil.

3/25/2009 11:04:43 PM

Alaska

My I suggest tilling in lost of drainage material. Change the physical properties of the soil. That will allow you to more easily flush the salts out of the root zone. You will have more control. Clay soils are terrible for holding on to anything and everything that comes along. You should also identify where the salts are coming from. If you chose to keep things as they are then don't let the soil dry out. Some plants don't mind a high EC others will suffer greatly.

3/26/2009 1:26:54 PM