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| Hi Jimsonweed.
You are correct as is the other commentator regarding the sulfates helping to 'break down' the calcium in the soil. Sulfates are very leachable and they like to attach to cations. so whatever cations you have in the soil at abundance is what the sulfate will attach themselves to and drag them down through the profile to lower levels eventually leaving the root zone of your plants.
Unfortunately, because you have so much sodium in your water the sulfates are probably hooking up with or staying hooked up with sodium and are keeping it tied up so your plants cannot get to it keeping them safe. That is the reason you have been able to use this sodiac water to irrigate with on a continued basis without total crop failure.
Additional sulfates would be very beneficial in addition to leaching more sodium from your soil it would also lower your ph to a more desirable level. in your case gypsum would indeed help as would any form of acid to lower the pH. the best acid's would be sulfuric or sulfurous acid so they leave behind the sulfate ions. you could do this very well with a sulfur burner and an injection gypsum. Dimond K makes a gypsum and injection system and Sweetwater out of Ogden Utah makes a good sulfur burner. these are significant investments but would turn your soil and yields around.
I work in water quality for a drip irrigation company in northeast Kansas. We have Heard testimonies that this combination of products in soils like yours have yielded tremendous results, especially in central California where the soil and water is similar to yours. Another consideration here would be for you to get a saturated paste soil test that uses your irrigation water to complete the test. when you use your own irrigation water as opposed to distilled water, you actually see what your plant sees in the soil and it can really help make good decisions.
Hope this helps. | |
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High Sulfates in Sodic irrigation water, irrigating calcareous high pH soil.
