Soil conditioners are increasingly popular in UK arable farming. Especially amongst farmers operating regenerative practises. But the term soil conditioner is very rarely defined, and this has led to a lack of uptake in the farming community until recent years.
For simplicity; soil conditioners are products applied to soils to improve the conditions for growing crops.
Some of the most common modes of actions for soil conditioners include:
- Altering the availability of nutrients already present in the soil.
- Improving the nutrient holding capacity of the soil.
- Improving soil soil structure.
- Example Eutrema product = Liquid Gypsum.
- 3rd party example = manure!
- Improving water holding capacity or water penetration.
- Example Eutrema product = Yucca Extract.
- 3rd party example = polyacrylamide gel.
Soil conditioners can be differentiated from:
- Fertilisers, because, whilst they may alter the availability of a nutrient, their primary aim is not to add extra nutrients.
- Pesticides, because their primary aim is not to kill pests or pathogens.
- Biostimulants, because they are not primarily acting directly at improving plant growth. Instead they are acting on the soil, which in turn will hopefully make it more conducive to healthy plant growth.
If you would like to know more about soil conditioners or discuss their use on your farm, please get in touch with our technical team.
13 Comments
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Hi, we have artificial grass in our back garden, it’s on a slight slope, when there is heavy rain it pools at the bottom of the slope, can I just use the gypsum on the top of the artificial grass? Or is there a better product to help the drainage due to the clay soil?
David
Hi Russell
This product sounds great. I have a field of approx 2 acres (at a height of 650ftabove sea level) and about 4/5 inches down is clay and the land gets a bit “Squelchy” in areas. If I spray the land, when it is very dry, how does the product get down to the clay ? will it not stay near the surface and evaporate ? Should I do it after a dry spell, but when light rain due, to help wash it down into the clay ?
Kind regards
Nigel
Looking for a way to improve the waterlogged lawn. I have French drainage and a soak away which has improved the time it takes to drain from days to hours. Would the product help as the lawn remains damp soggy but dries out and cracks IF we have a summer. PS I have a female dog as well so I know that will stain the grass.
We live on a flood plain. Under about three inches of top soil the ground is solid clay down at least two feet. Would liquid gypsum help our drainage?
Hi Ian
Yes, if you can get it INTO the clay when it has dried out a bit. Could be summer before that section dries out though.
Also, the water needs somewhere to go, so if it is just a case of a high water table, then the only thing that would help then would be a dam and a pump.
Russ
Hi we do gardening work and are often asked to dig French drains is this an alternative to such invasive drainage methods? Does it work after one application? Does it require an annual application to continue keeping the garden drained? Would love more overall information. Thanks Rob
Hi Rob
Yes, it was designed for situations where digging/ploughing is not possible. It works on the day of application, but we advise that you do not apply until the soil has dried out a bit. That way it can get sucked into the clay on the day it is applied, rather than just sitting on the outside. You should then start to see an effect the next time there is a downpour. Also see our blog post for 9 other alternatives to French Drains!
Liquid Gypsum is not a magic bullet, and we recommend you apply it once or twice a year.
Regards
Dr Russell Sharp
This product may be helpful in our garden – we live in a ‘new-build’ and the ground is definitely heavy clay. Whatever we do doesn’t seem to help (I understand it’s early days yet, and there’s more work required) our main problem at the moment is that the ground is sodden and we can’t walk on it – I accept that rainfall has been exceptional – what’s not completely clear to me is whether I would need to wait for a dry period before using this product, or can I apply it to the soaking wet lawn / borders? Thanks for your help.
Hi Laurie
It would help with aeration and drainage in the clay. For bst results wait until the clay has dried to a point where it will take up the diluted product when it is applied. If you apply it when it is soaking wet then the product won’t be able to get into the clay on the day it is applied (it works on the day it is applied).
Thanks for your interest.
Russell
Thanks, Russel – that’s helpful.
Can I use this Grass was laid last sept on a heavy clay soil garden now it’s like a mud bath as the rain water can’t drain into the soil . Would liquid gypsum break some the clay
Thanks
Hi Andrea. Yes, it is perfect for use on newly established turf.
We give full instructions on how to use it in these conditions on the bottle.
Regards
Russell
Hello. We rent 4/5 acres of grazing land 4 different fields. The top field highest up the hill has standing water on the top of the grass, the rain is taking ages to soak away.
Would your liquid gypsum product help with our issues? Is it suitable to used on grazing land for our horses.
Hi Gary, thanks for your interest. Yes, Liquid Gypsum will help flocculate the clay in the top soil and sub soil. However, you will need to wait until the soil has dried out (hopefully later this spring or in the summer). That is because the product needs to get down to the clay within hours of being applied. If you were to apply it tomorrow it would just sit on the surface with all the other water. Obviously not the advise you want right now, and not great for our sales, but should prove the greatest chance of success.
Yes, will be fine to use on grazing land with horses and other livestock.
Best of luck
Russell