Benton Smith
April 26th, 2018
PES 4520
Improving a Poor Lawn Soil Soil fertility is the foundation for healthy grass. Improving soil quality can be more challenging on an established lawn rather than growing a new one. The most important thing for soil is air and water and their ability to be absorbed by the roots. This helps nutrients to be absorbed also. A degraded soil typically loses its ability to supply food and habitation to living organisms, in it’s surrounding. Characteristics of a degraded soil could be high salinity, decline in fertility, low organic matter, or an increase in acidity or alkalinity. Soils are harmed from human traffic and also improper fertilization techniques. Different types of turf require different maintenance …show more content…
Thatch should be no more than half an inch thick and if it is there is a greater risk for disease development. Core aeration or a verticutter are good methods for removing excess thatch and opening up the turf canopy. These processes will help with getting fertilizers and soil amendments down into the soil. Core aeration removes thatch but it also decreases compaction, which greatly contributes to air movement. Aerating will greatly promote deeper root growth, which will create a thicker lawn. Heavy sand topdressing should be applied after aeration to help fill the holes and provide macropores for air/water movement. It can help by adding amendments after you have core aerated to get them down in the soil profile and begin helping immediately. When choosing soil amendments look for the most beneficial and mycorrhizae are always a good choice. Products such as Ecolite and earthworks 3-3-3 with mycorrhizae will help to hold nutrients and also provide organic fertilization with beneficial microbes for the …show more content…
A soil test as well as a tissue sample needs to be performed every year during the off-season to get accurate results of the available nutrients and the current pH. Lime or sulfur should be applied depending on the pH level. Use organic fertilizers and incorporate mycorrhizae to benefit roots and overall turf health. Consulting with a local extension can help you in deciding what needs to be applied and when. You should always apply at precise rates and know what it is that you are applying. Fertilizers will feed grass they are not meant to fix soils. When mowing always recycle the clippings to prevent removing nutrients from the lawn. This will decrease the need for fertilization and recycle nutrients on its own. Organic matter can also be incorporated to clay or sand soils to improve structure and increase organic content. Slow release fertilizers should be applied to feed for a long period in small doses. Fertilizer applications should be monitored and kept up with to ensure proper nutrient levels for
April 26th, 2018
PES 4520
Improving a Poor Lawn Soil Soil fertility is the foundation for healthy grass. Improving soil quality can be more challenging on an established lawn rather than growing a new one. The most important thing for soil is air and water and their ability to be absorbed by the roots. This helps nutrients to be absorbed also. A degraded soil typically loses its ability to supply food and habitation to living organisms, in it’s surrounding. Characteristics of a degraded soil could be high salinity, decline in fertility, low organic matter, or an increase in acidity or alkalinity. Soils are harmed from human traffic and also improper fertilization techniques. Different types of turf require different maintenance …show more content…
Thatch should be no more than half an inch thick and if it is there is a greater risk for disease development. Core aeration or a verticutter are good methods for removing excess thatch and opening up the turf canopy. These processes will help with getting fertilizers and soil amendments down into the soil. Core aeration removes thatch but it also decreases compaction, which greatly contributes to air movement. Aerating will greatly promote deeper root growth, which will create a thicker lawn. Heavy sand topdressing should be applied after aeration to help fill the holes and provide macropores for air/water movement. It can help by adding amendments after you have core aerated to get them down in the soil profile and begin helping immediately. When choosing soil amendments look for the most beneficial and mycorrhizae are always a good choice. Products such as Ecolite and earthworks 3-3-3 with mycorrhizae will help to hold nutrients and also provide organic fertilization with beneficial microbes for the …show more content…
A soil test as well as a tissue sample needs to be performed every year during the off-season to get accurate results of the available nutrients and the current pH. Lime or sulfur should be applied depending on the pH level. Use organic fertilizers and incorporate mycorrhizae to benefit roots and overall turf health. Consulting with a local extension can help you in deciding what needs to be applied and when. You should always apply at precise rates and know what it is that you are applying. Fertilizers will feed grass they are not meant to fix soils. When mowing always recycle the clippings to prevent removing nutrients from the lawn. This will decrease the need for fertilization and recycle nutrients on its own. Organic matter can also be incorporated to clay or sand soils to improve structure and increase organic content. Slow release fertilizers should be applied to feed for a long period in small doses. Fertilizer applications should be monitored and kept up with to ensure proper nutrient levels for