A soil profile is a vertical section of soil like the picture below. It allows you to examine the structure of the soil.
Established sports fields can reveal many of their secrets by analysing the soil profile. An undisturbed soil profile will reveal its origin and give clues as to whether it is of natural origin or man-made. If man-made, it will reveal how well the soil was mixed during construction. A soil analysis can be made by allowing the samples to dry and then passing them through sieves to separate the various components into particles sizes.
Monitoring the soil profile of a field helps to establish a record of existing conditions and also reveals the progress of a management program.With this information, one can develop a management program that can prevent, or at least minimize future turfgrass problems.
A specifically designed tool, called the SOIL PROFILE SAMPLER can be used to extract a clean soil sample without disturbing the playing surface. It is widely used for this purpose. A clean soil profile, to a trained eye, can be read like a book. Close observation can reveal the following conditions that may exist in the top 150 mm layer of soil.
APPLIED TOPDRESSING ANALYSIS. This analysis will help determine whether topdressing applied to this field is intimately intermixed with the thatch and mat, or whether it has formed a layer.
SOIL TEXTURE ANALYSIS. The texture of the soil reveals the components that are present in the profile. Examine the soil profile carefully looking for pockets of pure materials. These are trouble sports that can range from a few mm to a few cm. sometimes pockets of pure sand will manifest themselves as dry sports.
SOIL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS Soil structure indicates how the components of a soil blend are held together as clusters. A soil with a good structure will have 50% off its bulk as solids, 25% voids for air, and 25% pore space for water.
LAYER ANALYSIS Layers can appear in many forms in the soil profile. This is especially true in many of the older fields. They may consist of layers of different top dressing blends or they may appear as a top dressing over buried thatch.
SOIL COMPACTION ANALYSIS Soil compaction is constantly occurring on intensively used fields. Constant surveillance is necessary to stay abreast of this problem.
HARDPAN ANALYSIS Hardpans usually are man-made. They can be developed while manipulating wet soils during construction or as a result of coring machines. Hardpans also can occur when the top dressing is spread on a severely compacted field.
PORE SPACE ANALYSIS Pore space is vital to the health and survival of the grass plant. When pore spaces are squeezed out of the soil, oxygen cannot move down to the root system nor can carbon dioxide, produced by the grassroots and microorganism, exhaust out of the soil.
ANAEROBIC SOIL ANALYSIS Anaerobic conditions will develop in many soils. Any condition that prevents oxygen from entering the soil will promote the rapid growth of anaerobic microorganisms. Beneficial aerobic microorganisms will die off when oxygen is not available.
SOIL INSECT ANALYSIS Soil pests feed primarily on the grassroots and rhizomes. Look for activity at the thatch layer.
GRASS CUT ANALYSIS Since the quality of the cut is one of the most important operations on the field, close analysis of the leaf is important. If the grass blade is brown a quarter inch or so from the tip, it may indicate that the reel is not set properly.
THATCH ANALYSIST hatch analysis measures the depth of the thatch layer. The deeper the thatch, the more it affects the general health of the grass plant.
MAT ANALYSIS Mat layers are formed under and intermixed with the thatch layer. This layer is mostly decomposing thatch and usually will be dark brown or black in colour.
GRASS ROOT ANALYSIS Analyze the entire soil profile in order to determine its condition, length, and colour of the root system.
RHIZOME ANALYSIS The primary function of rhizomes and stolons is to propagate new plants and store carbohydrates.
STOLONS ANALYSIS Stolons are primarily above-ground stems. They propagate the plant by sending out runners.
DRAINAGE ANALYSIS To test the capillary and gravitational pull of the soil sample while still in the cutting shell slant it to about 45° and drip water on the top of the sample. Saturate the top of the sample and check the elapsed time it takes water to reach the bottom.
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