Soils and drainage

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Globally, soils can be categorised into 32 significant groups, termed Reference Soil Groups (RSG). (World reference base for soil resources 2014. International soil classification system for naming soils and creating legends for soil maps, updated 2015, World Soil Resources Reports 106, Food and Agriculture Organization of the united Nations, https://www.fao.org/soils-portal/data-hub/soil-classification/world-reference-base/en/). England and Wales have 13 RSG (https://www.landis.org.uk/soilsguide/index.cfm?) , whilst Scotland has 9 RSG (https://soils.environment.gov.scot/maps/soil-maps/wor

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1. The disturbance of a surface due to the process of freezing water on a soil, which expands and pushes apart soil particles and aggregates. The extent of any soil heave is related to the moisture content of the soil and the severity of the freezing conditions, in particular how far the freeze has penetrated into the soil profile. 2. The physical disturbance of a rootzone, to varying degrees of disruption. This might be due to an activity such as forking, deep spiking, air injection during aeration, decompaction, sub-soiling, or similar activities.

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A distinct layer within a soil profile. The main layers commonly encountered in turf maintenance are the O Horizon for the organic layer; A Horizon for the Topsoil or Rootzone layer; B Horizon, for the Subsoil layer; and C Horizon for the Parent Material (unconsolidated / loose rock). Other Horizons which might be encountered are: the R Horizon (Parent Material consolidated rock, i.e. bedrock). The O Horizon may also have distinct sub-layers, these being called L (Litter); F (Fermentation) and H (Humification) and may also be called layers, zones, or horizons. In addition, there may also be w

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A distinct layer within a soil profile which can affect the rate of water infiltration, percolation, rooting depth and air-filled porosity. A typical example of how this can arise is where different soil types have been applied as top-dressings. This can result in distinct layers being formed, especially if the turf surface had not been prepared properly beforehand prior to the top-dressing being applied. A sandy soil overlying a loamy, or heavier, soil can also produce soil layering, often resulting in plant roots being restricted to the sandier surface layer. This is due to a discontinuity i

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The amendment of a soil's physical condition.

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The amount of water that is needed to top the soil water levels back up to field capacity. A soil moisture deficit of zero means that the soil is at field capacity. Also called Soil Water Deficit.

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A physical measurement of soil moisture content can determine the amount of water present within a soil, being expressed as either (1) the mass of water present, as a ratio of dry soil weight (called the gravitational water content), or 92) the percentage of water present within a defined volume (called the volumetric water content). 1. Gravitational water content: This is simply a mass of soil being weighed, for example, 50g, it is then oven dried (at 105°C) to remove water present, and then reweighed. This is recorded and then the soil is continued to be oven dried until there is n

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The net amount (after losses for example through leaching or volatilization) of nitrogen available to plants within the soil over the year. A natural reserve of nitrogen made available by the nitrogen cycle to a turfgrass area might be in the region of 40 kg/N/ha/yr. Fertiliser applied nitrogen would then be added to maintain a suitable hard-wearing sward.

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All dead and decaying organic material which is present within a soil. In a soil this might be thatch, digested material within earthworm casts, or any organic remains of plants and soil fauna. The term is sometimes also referred to as Soil Organic Material.

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Any living organism within a soil. These are also called Soil Fauna ranging from bacteria up to moles. They can be categorised according to size into Microbiota (Microfauna and Microflora); Mesobiota or Mesofauna, and Macrobiota (Macrofauna). Soil organisms have an essential role to play within soil ecology and promote a healthy soil environment.