Sunday, January 30, 2011
Time to collect a sample
After you have determined the different areas that you will sample, you will need to collect samples. You should collect 15 to 20 independent samples from each area. Each sample should include the soil profile to a depth of 4-6 inches. Remove all organic materials (sod, leaves, etc.) from the samples and dump each sample into a bucket for a composite sample. Mix the composite sample together well and then place composite sample in bag or box supplied by soil lab. Fill out the paperwork and mail/deliver to the lab.
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Please Vote
Everyone,
At the request of my daughter please go to this website http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3 and vote for Lake Martin Animal Shelter in Alexander City, AL. Do it daily. Thank you.
At the request of my daughter please go to this website http://www.theanimalrescuesite.com/clickToGive/shelterchallenge.faces?siteId=3 and vote for Lake Martin Animal Shelter in Alexander City, AL. Do it daily. Thank you.
How to Measure Area?
Area measurements.
After you decide the areas where you will need to collect a soil sample you are going to have to measure the area. This is important because you will need to report to the soil lab how much of an area the soil sample represents (usually in acres in America). This is also important because when you get the soil report back you will need to know how much fertilizer to use. This will be presented to you by tons/acre or such.
There are several ways you can go about doing this;
1. Measure exactly. Pull out a tape measure and measure the length and width. Then use those geometric formulas (square, rectangle, circle, triangle) you should remember from high school and find the areas (you can also Google the formulas).
2. Pull it from your plat. If you have drawings or a land survey for you property you may be able to determine the areas by measuring with a ruler the length and width and again using those geometric formulas.
3. Step it off. Measure your stride then step off the length and width. Convert your steps to feet (again America). Then use those geometric formulas you should remember from high school. You really should have studied.
4. Estimate. To estimate you must have some concept of how big a unit square area is. I like to use 1000 square feet. I know from experience how much area 1000 sqft is. I would then imagine a unit of 1000 sqft and set them next to each other on the lawn/landscape until I had it all covered. I would then add up how many unit areas I used. Note this is almost impossible to use on very large areas and should be avoided. If you are using more than 10 unit areas you should try a different way to measure the area.
5. Guess. Yep I said guess! Your results to this method are directly proportional to the effort you put forth. So use one of the first four methods.
After you decide the areas where you will need to collect a soil sample you are going to have to measure the area. This is important because you will need to report to the soil lab how much of an area the soil sample represents (usually in acres in America). This is also important because when you get the soil report back you will need to know how much fertilizer to use. This will be presented to you by tons/acre or such.
There are several ways you can go about doing this;
1. Measure exactly. Pull out a tape measure and measure the length and width. Then use those geometric formulas (square, rectangle, circle, triangle) you should remember from high school and find the areas (you can also Google the formulas).
2. Pull it from your plat. If you have drawings or a land survey for you property you may be able to determine the areas by measuring with a ruler the length and width and again using those geometric formulas.
3. Step it off. Measure your stride then step off the length and width. Convert your steps to feet (again America). Then use those geometric formulas you should remember from high school. You really should have studied.
4. Estimate. To estimate you must have some concept of how big a unit square area is. I like to use 1000 square feet. I know from experience how much area 1000 sqft is. I would then imagine a unit of 1000 sqft and set them next to each other on the lawn/landscape until I had it all covered. I would then add up how many unit areas I used. Note this is almost impossible to use on very large areas and should be avoided. If you are using more than 10 unit areas you should try a different way to measure the area.
5. Guess. Yep I said guess! Your results to this method are directly proportional to the effort you put forth. So use one of the first four methods.
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Areas To Collect A Soil Test From.
What areas should I collect a Soil Test from?
A Soil Test should be collected from any discernible area of your total landscape that will require fertilization (or you think will require fertilization). Obviously the lawn would be treated different from the landscaped beds. But you may want to pull separate samples from the annuals, perennials, shrubs, etc. If there are any specialty type plantings like a rose garden you should treat it as a separate area and collect a sample. Do not forget the vegetable garden it should also be treated as a separate area.
Treat the lawn as an aggregate unless it has distinct areas that contain different turf types. Such as the front lawn is Bermuda grass and the back lawn is Centipede grass, then these should be treated differently and have separate samples.
A Soil Test should be collected from any discernible area of your total landscape that will require fertilization (or you think will require fertilization). Obviously the lawn would be treated different from the landscaped beds. But you may want to pull separate samples from the annuals, perennials, shrubs, etc. If there are any specialty type plantings like a rose garden you should treat it as a separate area and collect a sample. Do not forget the vegetable garden it should also be treated as a separate area.
Treat the lawn as an aggregate unless it has distinct areas that contain different turf types. Such as the front lawn is Bermuda grass and the back lawn is Centipede grass, then these should be treated differently and have separate samples.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Soil Test
Soil Test
Always start with a Soil Test. You need to know what you are working with. Most large landscape/lawncare companies this includes companies like Trugreen/Chemlawn (I will call them the Big Green) will tell you that this step is not needed. They will use excuses like “we treat a lot of the landscapes in this area and we know what we are doing” or “we did a soil test on this street a couple of years ago”. Without a soil test you do not know what your soil really needs, or more importantly does NOT need.
What your soil does NOT need, interesting concept. The Big Green maximizes their profit by treating every landscape the same. The Chicken Soup approach! A tank mixture of 1000 gallons rolls down the road and treats a slew of lawns, not necessarily based on what they need, but based on where they are located. Route Density!
What happens to the stuff your landscape does not need. It makes it way down the storm drain, it can bind with the soil, or could change up the pH. All three of these things are bad, bad for your landscape and bad for the ecosystem that we all live in.
A soil test will let you know what your landscape needs and what it does not need.
Always start with a Soil Test. You need to know what you are working with. Most large landscape/lawncare companies this includes companies like Trugreen/Chemlawn (I will call them the Big Green) will tell you that this step is not needed. They will use excuses like “we treat a lot of the landscapes in this area and we know what we are doing” or “we did a soil test on this street a couple of years ago”. Without a soil test you do not know what your soil really needs, or more importantly does NOT need.
What your soil does NOT need, interesting concept. The Big Green maximizes their profit by treating every landscape the same. The Chicken Soup approach! A tank mixture of 1000 gallons rolls down the road and treats a slew of lawns, not necessarily based on what they need, but based on where they are located. Route Density!
What happens to the stuff your landscape does not need. It makes it way down the storm drain, it can bind with the soil, or could change up the pH. All three of these things are bad, bad for your landscape and bad for the ecosystem that we all live in.
A soil test will let you know what your landscape needs and what it does not need.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Why Sustainable Landscapes?
Here is a list of inputs that have led me to start this blog;
• Sustainable Sites Initiative http://www.sustainablesites.org/
• Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Spring
• Working as an engineer LEEDhttp://www.usgbc.org/, sustainability, economics
• Decades of experience in the ‘Green’ Industry
o Trugreen/Chemlawn http://local.trugreen.com/
o Academia http://www.ag.auburn.edu/hort/undergraduate.html
o Landscape Maintenance http://www.visionlandscapesinc.com/
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