Sand and Organic Amendment Influences on Soil Physical Properties Related to Turf Establishment

Abstract

Topsoil blending is a common practice in many metropolitan areas, yet few scientific guidelines are available for design of general‐use, lawn‐area soils. The objective of this study was to provide blending guidelines with focus on establishing a vigorous turfgrass ground cover. A Mahoning silt loam (fine, illitic, mesic Aerie Epiaqualf) and a Tioga loam (coarse‐loamy, mixed, mesic Dystric Fluventic Eutrochrept) were each blended with a spent foundry sand and a peat humus to form 28 individual soil mixes for each native soil. Soil properties and perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) growth were measured for each soil mix. Cation exchange capacity (CEC), bulk density, and plant available water exhibited changes due to soil mix that largely resulted from differences in mix organic matter (OM) content. Compression index, bubbling pressure (Hb), air‐filled porosity, and saturated hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) responded to both sand and OM contents of the soil mixes. The pore distribution parameter, λ, exhibited a response to sand and OM contents, but only at high levels of either component. Principal component analysis (PCA) of soil properties revealed that the first two principal components contained 85 to 88% of the total data variation with correlations between compression index, Hb, air‐filled porosity, Ksat, and λ contained in the first component and correlation between CEC, bulk density, and available water contained in the second component. Regression of turf clipping yield vs. PCA factor scores and regression of factor scores vs. total sand and OM contents suggested that a high‐quality, general‐use soil for lawn establishment would contain about 65% sand and have an OM content of 8% by weight. The multivariate process of relating turf yield to soil physical properties, as applied in this study, should provide more generalized mix formulation guidelines than do recommendations based on relating turf yield to mix composition.

Hydraulic Property and Solute Breakthrough from Salt Accumulated Soils under Various Head Pressures

“…Bulk density further exhibited a reversal of the general trend resulting in increased bulk densities at higher OM contents were due to greater compressibility of the OM. The primary influence of OM on bulk density and water holding capacity was similar to previous observations with soil mixes (McCoy, 1998), yet the diminished increase in water holding capacity with increasing sand was also documented for these system. Difference of the water contents between top soil and bottom soil was approximately between 10 and 15%.…”

Characterization of physical and chemical properties of spent foundry sands pertinent to beneficial use in manufactured soils

“…acid neutralization, water retention or release). Spent foundry sands (SFSs) often demonstrate soil-like qualities making them potentially attractive components in manufactured soils and useful for enhancing soil blend physical and chemical properties Lindsay and Logan 2005;McCoy 1998 . Among the goals of the RCC are promoting the reuse and recycling of nonhazardous industrial materials, such as foundry sand, construction/demolition debris, slags, and coal combustion products.…”

“…In contrast, soils used for landscaping or container mixes for trees and shrubs often contain a larger percentage of mineral components to promote nutrient and water retention and reduce erosion by wind and water. In high traffic turf applications, such as putting greens or athletic fields, large amounts of sands are commonly used in mixes to optimize water movement and reduce compressibility (McCoy 1998). McCoy (1998) found increasing sand contents, particularly in low organic matter soils, resulted in increased air-filled porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s ).…”

“…In high traffic turf applications, such as putting greens or athletic fields, large amounts of sands are commonly used in mixes to optimize water movement and reduce compressibility (McCoy 1998). McCoy (1998) found increasing sand contents, particularly in low organic matter soils, resulted in increased air-filled porosity and saturated hydraulic conductivity (K s ). Similarly, assessed changes in K s of four agricultural soils blended with up to 50% SFS and found that, except where SFS clay content was dominated by sodium bentonite, increased sand content corresponded to linear increases in K s , particularly in loam and silty clay soils.…”

Yield and arbuscular mycorrhiza of winter rye in a 40-year fertilisation trial

“…Three synergistic effects of organic matter addition can explain the higher arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation level and arbuscule frequency in the long-term farmyard manure fertilisation treatments compared with the NPK fertilisation: (1) higher soil organic matter contents apparently support the survival of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi propagules during the bare fallow period before winter rye in the crop rotation; (2) especially in nutrient-poor soils, fertilisation with farmyard manure can support the arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation of crops by avoiding a deficiency of carbohydrates from the photosynthesis of the crop plants for the AMF; (3) farmyard manure enhances soil organic matter, improving soil biological, physical and chemical properties (McCoy 1998). This supports populations of beneficial soil micro-organisms, maintains soil structure, and improves water retention capacity (Arden-Clarke and Hodges, 1988).…”