Soil Management & Fertilization Report
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SOIL MANAGEMENT & FERTILIZATION REPORT Submitted by: Richell Chiu John Gimera Patrick Koebel Byron Weiker Josh Williams CSS 200 - SOILS & PLANT NUTRITION March 13, 2012 Instructor: Marilyn Alexander DESCRIPTION OF SITE The site for the three Soil Management Units included in this report is located at Portland Community College, Rock Creek Campus in Portland, Oregon. It is in the southwestern area of the campus at the near the greenhouses, shadehouse and Building 4. On the southeastern side, it is bordered by a gravel road and on the northeastern side, a paved concrete road. On the northwestern side, it is adjacent to a parking lot. The area is open and exposed to sun and rainfall. This whole site receives quite a lot of traffic, creating compaction issues. In most of the turf areas, there are also drainage issues, with most of the turf in standing water in rainy months. A variety of evergreen and deciduous trees and shrubs can be found on the site, as well as shrubs and woody and herbaceous perennial beds. There are also turf areas of perennial ryegrass and a gravel parking lot within the site. The site has irrigation system in place which is used mostly in the summer months. SITE MAP PHOTOS OF SITE MANAGEMENT UNITS SHRUB BED TURF VI I RAISED BED SOIL MANAGEMENT UNIT—SHRUB BED I Rationale for Soil Management Unit The Shrub Bed I is located on a south facing area, behind Building 4, with a total of 8,560 sq.ft. It is located adjacent to a gravel road. This site has a relatively flat topography and surrounding trees to give the area some shade. Plants include deciduous trees, evergreen conifers, shrubs and 1-2” mulch on the topsoil. Based on feel test, the soil is plastic, mouldable, moist and crumbly with a dark brown color. The soil sample was taken 6-8” depth. Description of Soil Consistency (describe) plastic, mouldable, moist, medium, crumbly Color (Munsell chart) 10 YR, 5/3, Brown Soil Test Results Texture Class. Texture 26.6% sand 60% silt 13.33% clay Silt Loam Humus (#) 3 (medium in greenhouse/garden soils ) pH (results & average) 6.6pH 5.8pH 5.8pH 6.0pH Average lbs./acre ppm N-P-K Nitrogen (N) 20 10 Phosphorus (P) 200 100 Potassium (K) 375 187.5 Ca & Mg ppm meq Calcium 2000 10 Magnesium 10 .083 SOIL MANAGEMENT UNIT – SHRUB BED I Recommendations for Soil Fertilization LIMING Based on the soil test pH of 6.0 average, it is not necessary to change the pH of the soil as the areas has mostly established trees and the ornamental shrubs seems to be doing well. If some acid-loving plants are doing poorly, fertilize them with ammonium sulfate (21-0-0-24) to lower soil pH. For mature bushes, use 2/3 to ¾ lb (about 1 1/3 to 1 ½ cups) ammonium sulfate per bush. N-P-K This area would benefit from a broadcasted application of 15-15-15 fertilizer at a rate of 15lbs per 1000 sq.ft based on the soil test results and the recommendations from the OSU table 3 for Western Oregon. In this case, 128.4 lbs of the fertilizer would be required for the whole area. As an alternative, we can also use a 7-3-2 organic fertilizer blend, in which case 256 lbs would be needed at a rate of 30lbs/1000sq.ft. Application Fertilize trees and shrubs by spreading the desired amount of fertilizer over the root zone (approximately the spread of the branches). Incorporate the fertilizer by shallow cultivation or irrigation. SOIL MANAGEMENT UNIT – SHRUB BED I Recommendations for Soil Management In the Fall: Add 2-4 inches of tree chip or mulch to shrub bed. To avoid compaction issues use wheelbarrows and carts to move mulch around instead of trucks so that soil can maintain its natural structure. Adding mulch will help improve the soils ability to retain water, prevent evaporation in hot weather and helps in reducing weeds. Add amendments and fertilizer in accordance with recommendations from above. In The Winter: Keep equipment and persons from driving or walking in shrub bed area to prevent soil compaction. Compaction will affect soil porosity and decreases the soils ability to take in water and nutrients, which are needed for healthy soils and plant growth. In the Spring: Cultivate shallowly to control weeds and monitor plants for irrigation. In the Summer: Monitor for weeds and cultivate as needed. Irrigate once a week to maintain non-native plants and newly established plantings. Drip systems should be set for proper times as specified by the plants needs. Monitor to prevent over watering. In Summary: Shrub bed should require little management if done correctly. Limit compaction issues by limiting equipment use and walking and adding deep mulch will help prevent water evaporation in the summer and help control weeds. SOIL MANAGEMENT UNIT—TURF VI Rationale for Soil Management Unit Turf VI is in a north facing location with a total area of 4770 sq. ft. The turf is a perennial ryegrass with a mulch path and circular area of mulch. Conifers and deciduous trees, shrubs and rose bushes surround the turf area. Based on field observations and feel test, the soil is very moist and compact with a medium brown color. This area also has irrigation in place and there is a slight slope towards the southwest corner. This area receives foot traffic, and it seems to be compacted. The soil sample taken was 3” deep in different areas within the zone. Description of Soil Consistency (describe) sticky, plastic, mouldable, moist, slightly gritty Color (Munsell chart) 2.5 YR, 5/4, Light olive brown Soil Test Results Texture 36.66% sand 40% silt 23.33% clay Loam Humus (#) 1 (Very low in garden/greenhouse soils) pH (results & average) 6.2pH 6.2pH 6.0pH 6.13ph Average N-P-K lbs./acre ppm Nitrogen (N) 50 25 Phosphorus (P) 100 50 Potassium (K) 220 110 Ca & Mg ppm meq Calcium 1,400 7 Magnesium 25 0.206 SOIL MANAGEMENT UNIT – TURF VI Recommendations for Soil Fertilization LIMING Based on soil pH test results, liming the area is not necessary as the average pH of 6.13 falls within the optimum range for perennial ryegrass which is between 5.5-6.5pH. Magnesium and calcium levels are also adequate. N-P-K To help green up the grass and encourage denser growth, the soil could benefit from an application of a slow release type of nitrogen fertilizer such as sulfur-coated urea (46-0-0). The recommendation for top quality ryegrass is 6lbs N/1000sq.ft/year. For the whole lawn, 62.2 lbs of sulfur-coated urea is recommended (13lbs/fertilizer/1000sq.ft). The fertilizer ratio of 6-1-4 is recommended for turf areas. To enhance the turf’s hardiness to heat and cold, potassium sulfate fertilizer (0-0-50) is recommended at 8lbs fertilizer/1000 sq.ft or 38.16 lbs for the whole lawn area of 4,770sq.ft. Phosphorus level is at 50ppm which is higher than 20ppm, thus, phosphorus fertilizer is not needed. Application Rates Based on the application rate of 1lb N/1000sqft/application, and the required 6lb N/1000sq. ft/yr for top quality ryegrass, we would recommend 6 applications once per month during the months of May-October. Be sure to water thoroughly after fertilizing to avoid foliar burn and bring the fertilizer to the root zone. SOIL MANAGEMENT UNIT – TURF VI Recommendations for Soil Management In The Fall: Add ½ inch of fine finished compost to entire lawn area, making sure to spread evenly and break up any large clumps. Organic Matter helps soil hold water, keep soil biology in balance and helps retain nutrients that otherwise may leach out of the soil. Add amendments and fertilizer in accordance with recommendations from above. In The Winter: Keep equipment and persons from driving or walking on wet soggy lawns to prevent soil compaction. Compaction will affect soil porosity and decreases the soils ability to take in water and nutrients, which are need for healthy soils and plant growth. In the Spring: Monitor grass height for mowing. Mowing can start as soon as grass is actively growing. Avoid mowing during heavy rains, as it will result in deep soil compaction and rutting of turf grass. A proposed mowing spring schedule would be mowing every other week and the mower should be set at a height of 3 ½ inches or more. All grass clipping should be left on the lawn to compost back into the soil. Aeration with a hollow tined aeration machine should be done in middle spring or when it has not rained for at least a week and soil has dried. Plugs from aeration work should be left on the lawn and will be incorporated back into the lawn through the subsequent mowing. (*It must be noted that aeration machines are heavy and can cause extensive damage and this work should only be done when lawn has dried out thoroughly.) Aeration is done to help break up compactions and helps water and oxygen get down into the root zone. In the Summer: Monitor grass for signs of drying out and start irrigating in early summer or an soon as grass starts to show signs of browning. Irrigate once a week in the early morning and water till soil is moist down to 1’’. Watering so first 1’’ of soil is wet will train plant roots to grow deeper into the soil and prevent a shallow root zone.As soon as turf requires irrigation reduce mowing to every 2 weeks and keep mowing height at 3 ½ inches or higher to maintain a nice green color throughout the summer months and grass clippings should be left on the lawn to compost back into soil.