Planting Turf 92062871 I & I
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EM 1110-1-321 31 OCT 61 I c- / ,;I ENGINEERING AND DESIGN I I I •• PLANTING. TURF I I. I TA . · 145 I .U6 .EM ' 1110 .. 1 .. 321 I l 1961 .' I le I I e1 I I I I I I .,I I I I I I I el I Manuals - Corps of Engineers EM 1110-1-321 u. s. Army 31 Oct 61 ENGINEERING AND DESIGN 1e BURi0[[1rn~~~~111i[[M1i~ARV PLANTING TURF 92062871 I &_ I I Table of Contents Paragraph I 1 PURPOSE AND SCOPE . 1 2 II • I REFERENCES • e 1 3 RESCISSION 1 4 SOILS 1 I a. Composition •••• 1 b. Texture 2 c. Soil Structure 2 I d. Adjusting Plants to Soil. ••• 3 e. Soil Fertility. • • • . • . • • • • •• 3 f. Soil Ac~ity and Alkalinity .•••••••••••. 4 I g. Soil Salinity . • • • • • • • • 4 h. Soil Tests • • • • • • • • • • • • • , 5 5 CLIMATE . 5 •• a. Rainfall . 5 l;l. Temperature . 7 I C, Other Factors . 7 6 PREPARATION OF S:rnDBED. 7 a. Clearing and Grading •••• 7 I b. Subsurface Drainage . • • • • • • • • • 10 c. Topsoil • • • • • . • • . • . • • . 11 d. Tillage . • • • • • • . • • . • . 12 e. Fertilizers and Amendments .••. 13 I f. A:p:plied Mulches • • • • • • • • • • • • 15 g. Planted Mulches . • • • • • 16 I 7 SELECTION OF FLA.NT SPECIES. 16 a. lawn-Type Plantings ••••••. 17 b. Recreational Areas and Parade Grounds .•• 22 c. Airfields • • • • • • • • • • • • • 23 I d. Ammunition Magazines and Barricades ••••••• 24 e. Unimproved Grounds • • • • • • • • •• 25 I 8 S:rnDING AND PLANTING . 27 a. Seasons for Planting. 27 le I I EM 1110-1-321 Contents 31 Oct 61 I Paragraph 91 b. Planting Methods •••. 28 c. Irrigation . 30 d. Maintenance .• . .. 31 I 9 SEED . • • 32 a. Seed Quality 32 I b. Federal Standards 32 c. Sampling and Testing 32 d. Pure Live Seed . • . 33 e. Seeding 13 I APPENDIX I--NOTES ON COMMON PI.ANT SPF.CIES I 1 SOUTHERN PEREl'JNIA.L GRASSES. 1 2 NORTHERN PEREl'JNIA.L GRASSES 2 I 3 DROUTH-RESISTANT PERENNIAL GRASSES 4 4 TEMPORARY OR ANNUAL GRASSES 6 I 5 MISCELLANEOUS PLANTS. 6 I APPENDIX II--SELIDTED REFERENCES •• I I I I I I I I el I Manuals - Corps of Engineers I U. S. Army EM 1110-1-321 1e 31 Oct 61 ENGINEERING AND DESIGN I PLANTING TURF I 1. PURPOSE AND SCOPE. This manual outlines the factors affecting estab lishment of turf, namely climate, soils, and management. It outlines treatment of areas before and after planting, selection of seed and seed I mixtures, and methods of planting. Appendix I provides information on com~ men plant species. The manual will be used by all elements of the Corps of I Engineers responsible for planting turf. 2. REFERENCES. A list of selected references is included in this manual as Appendix II. Raised numerals in the text refer to items in this list. I 3. RESCISSION. Engineering Manual for Military Construction, Part xrv, Chapter 2, May 1947.(EM 1110-345-321). I 4. sons. ~- Composition. Establishment of turf must be based on the natural I physical and chemical properties of the soil. Soil is composed of minerals, organic matter, water, and air. The relative proportions and arrangement of these components determine the soil's suitability for plant growth. •• ( 1) Minerals. Mineral materials make up the bulk of the solid portion of most soils. This mineral fraction consists of fragments in various stages of disintegration. Sizes of particles range from coarse I gravel to clay. (2) Organic Matter. Plant and animal residues are commonly re I ferred to as organic matter. Normally soils with high percentages of fine sand or silt are benefited by the addition of organic matter. Sands and clays may also be improved with organic matter properly used. Since soils that consolidate upon compaction are extremely difficult to manage, es I pecially where traffic is expected, a complete understanding of the problem is essential before plantings are made. large quantities of organic matter do not correct serious soil deficiencies of this kind. Proper proportions I of sand, silt, and clay are re~uired where such conditions exist. (3) Moisture. Water is the third major soil component, and is held I in or moves through the pore spaces in the soil mass. The texture of the soil and the amount of organic matter have an important bearing on the rapidity with which water from rains or irrigation penetrates the soil mass and is held in the soil layers (horizons). Soils high in clay content hold I large amounts of water, about 3 in. of rainfall per vertical foot of soil. Loa.ms are intermediate and hold about 2 in. per soil foot; sands are le poorest, holding from 1/2 to 1 in. of rainfall per soil foot. 1 I EM 1110-1-321 I 31 Oct 61 ( 4) Air. Air and other mixtures of gases are more j_mportant in the e1 soil than is often supposed. Soils that become readily com:pacted exclude air and prevent deep root penetration. Sandy soils, at the other extreme, permit easy flow of air; this tends to evaporate the moisture from the soil surface and to inhibit grasses that have shallow root systems. The proper I balance of air and water depends in a large measure on soil texture and the amount of organic matter present, I b. Texture. (1) Soil Classification. Physically, soil is an aggregate of min eral particles which, for purposes of classification, are divided into I separates or groups. Of the several group classifications in use, the fol lowing devised by the U, S. Department of Agriculture serves the purposes of this manual: I Diameter of Particles Classification in millimeters I Very coarse sand 2.0 to LO Coarse sand 1.0 to 0,5 Medium sand 0.5 to 0.25 I Fine sand 0.25 to 0,10 Very fine sand 0.10 to 0.05 Silt 0.05 to 0,002 I Clay Below 0.002 (2) Other Classification Systems. It should be noted that the above classification does not agree with soil classification:3 normally as •• signed to soils used for construction purposes, as defined in TM 5-541, Control of Soils in Military Construction, and other related publications. For example, standard analysis procedures for soils used for construction I purposes provide a separation of sands from silt and clay particles with a No. 200 sieve, whereas agricultural soil laboratories norma.1:·..y use a No. 300 sieve. Agricultural analyses separate silt and clay, but many labora I tories analyzing soils for construction do not. For an understanding of the system in use for agricultural soils, see Soil Survey Manual, United States Department of Agriculture Handbook No, 18. 13 A soil analysis for I turf planting should always include percentages of gravel, sand, silt, and clay, regardless of what laboratory makes the test. Determination of fine and very fine sands is of interest for soils used for recreational purposes • I .£• Soil Structure. Soil structure refers to the arrangement of the various sized soil particles in relation to each other. Primary soil particles (sand, silt, and clay) tend to aggregate in productive soils I into compound soil particles. The value of a soil for plant growth depends in a great measure on the tendency of soil particles to aggregate into these clusters. On this characteristic depends the penetration of water and air into the soil. Soils that have poor structure become waterlogged I during long periods of rainfall, forcing plant roots to concentrate near 2 el I I 4c(1) EM 1110-1-321 31 Oct 61 1e the soil surface. Sandy soils are so permeable that water escapes. Heavy compaction with construction equipment and foot traffic while soils are wet tends to destroy soil structure. The best agricultural soils have good structure at considerable depth, 4 to 6 ft. The bluegrass areas in I Kentucky are ty:pical of this condition as are the loessial soils in the Corn Belt of the Midwest, and the deep irrigated lands of the western I states. (1) Importing Soil Materials. Adjusting the soil texture by im~ porting better soil materials from off the site will improve the surface I soil but not the subsoil. Nevertheless, the use of off-site materials is at times necessary. When sand is added to clay or silt soils of athletic fields to improve structure, the coarser sand fractions rather than fine sands should be used. The use of ungraded sand with a high percentage of I fine sand may intensify the problem rather than alleviate it. (2) Other Treatments. The addition of organic matter, such as I peat, is advisable under conditions where the problem is not severe. The use of ground limestone will often improve soils in high rainfall areas where structure is poor, and gypsum will improve soils with a high per I centage of low-soluble salts • .9:.. Adjusting Plants to Soil. Soils containing high percentages of clay are normally easier to maintain in dense turf, especially when used I for lawns, airfields, and the like. On areas to be used for athletic fields, soils high in sand content are important to prevent compaction and to permit use innnediately after rains or irrigation. Since soils high in sand content do not hold water readily, irrigation is often required on •• such sites. Unirrigated sandy soils are often difficult to maintain in good turf, although on unimproved grounds where maintenance is limited to an occasional mowing, certain bunch grasses with deep roots may thrive. I Adjusting both plant species and management to soil texture is important in the establishment of turf. I e. Soil Fertility. The elements normally considered necessary for p],ant growth are: nitrogen, phosphorous, potash, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, boron, copper, and zinc.