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Location

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Date Posted

Ohio

A Guy I work with says he puts this on his cornfields before planting time, he says it has Gypsum init?????? If so i have never heard of this before, How about you guys?

Brooks

4/18/2005 3:40:34 PM

Commack, NY

ive heard people refer to drywall as gypsum board. although i think it would be alot easier to just by bags of gypsum personally.

4/18/2005 4:30:45 PM

Rhode Island

brooks
if you lay that sheet rock down across your patch evenly at least you wont have to worry about weeds
( dont forget to tape and sand the seams )
pap

4/18/2005 7:18:44 PM

Ohio

LOL, He gets it from new houses(left over scrap) or old ones that they tore down. I said to him that cant be good with the paint still on it!!,LOL

4/18/2005 8:18:00 PM

Utah

I know a guy who has put some into his garden... the problem he had was breaking it up ... he has a tractor with a tiller attachment ... he thought that would do the trick ... but he told me that a couple of years later ... he still has small chunks all over place.

4/19/2005 9:33:40 AM

Cologne / Germany

Come on, this is construction material and not intended for garden use. Do you expect it will release a useable amount of gypsum to your soil? Sounds like a joke.

4/19/2005 10:23:04 AM

Garden State Pumpkins

Major component of sheet rock is gypsum...so I would say it would work!

4/19/2005 6:16:34 PM

Puyallup, WA

Unless it is ground up into fine particles, it is worthless!
A rototiller cannot grind it up that fine. Just spend $7.50
for a 50# bag of the good stuff.

4/19/2005 6:28:21 PM

Cameron,ontario Team Lunatic

I agree with Stan. Drywall sheets are more expensive than a bag of gypsum and the used ones are covered in paint.

Phil

4/19/2005 6:47:13 PM

KENTUCKY

I use only scraps with no paint on it! A tiller on the back of tractor will break it up into small 1/4" chunks after several passes. It takes about 1 to 1.5 years for those chunks to completely break down into the soil. If it is free use it for the long term effects. If you need it now, buy the powdered bags. I've used scraps for years except this last year or so and you can't find the chunks in my garden.

Mike

4/19/2005 9:39:00 PM

[email protected]

Some drywall contains glues & fire retarding additives that are detrimental to plants. Buy a bag of gypsum.

4/19/2005 9:43:18 PM

Eugene,OR

I like to use a nice piece of redwood 4x4 to increase the acidity of my patch. There is always someone around tearing out an old redwood fence, so I get the stuff for free. Any nails in 'em helps boost the iron level and if you get a nice one with a big old concrete base attached to it, there you have a nice lime source as well. Nothin' like it. I just make a few passes over it with my 14 ton Caterpillar bulldozer and it breaks down real quick-like. Sometimes they splinter up really nice and I collect little pieces for toothpicks and sell them at the local street fair. Construction debris, you gotta live it as a soil ammendment.

4/19/2005 10:11:26 PM

KENTUCKY

4/20/2005 6:12:20 AM

Cologne / Germany

Yep, drywall is clad with fire proof board using glues. Older stuff might contain asbestos as a fire retarding additive which is pretty healthy to inhale if you shredder. The waterproofing of drywall should also help to release all that gypsum very fast.
That´s what my soil needs to grow a big one for sure. Vineman also mentioned some excellent stuff I will look for next time. What a shame I disposed all my construction debris to a hazardous waste site 2 years ago.

4/20/2005 7:41:40 AM

Illinois

LoL Vineman and PAP you guys kill me LOLOLOLOLOL

4/20/2005 4:27:54 PM