Welcome to Northeast Nursery: We are the experts supplying top quality nursery stock, natural stone and garden accessories from around the world. We have what you are looking for!
Click here to join our email list and stay in the loop. Join our list Click here to contact Northeast Nursery. Contact Us Click here to print this page. Print Page Alternative Fuels Alternative Fuels View your shopping cart. Shop Online


 

spacer
spacer
Contractor Center: Basics of Soil Science for Growing Turf
spacerspacer       Click here to shop online at www.shopnortheastnursery.com.   spacerspacer

spacer

Ideal soil balances air and water holding pore space, resists compaction, holds nutrients and provides turf with a growing medium that enhances growth and recovery, which significantly reduces long-term maintenance costs.

Ideal Athletic Field Soil Characteristics

  • Balanced porosity for optimum water holding capacity, drainage rates and oxygen levels.
  • Resists compaction maintaining ideal soil for outstanding turf.
  • High nutrient retention (CEC).

Porosity In Balance Porosity in balance

Ideal Soil

Compacted Native Soil

  • Native soils are not resistant to compaction, which leads to turf failure and unsafe conditions.
  • Root zone drains poorly, depriving the plant of sufficient air space for turf recovery.

Porosity Out of Balance

Compacted native soil

100% Sand Root Zones:

  • Poor storage reservoirs for water and nutrients.
  • Requires a higher level of maintenance.

Porosity Out of BalancePorosity out of balance

Performance characteristics

Turface Particle as Example of Calcined Clay

Water, Air, SolidTurface® MVP® or Field & Fairway™ for native soil and Greens Grade™ for sand root zones are used to permanently modify soils to provide athletes with safe, playable and beautiful fields. Turface will:

  • Add permanent water, nutrient and air holding space (pore space) to soils to help prevent turf damage and aid in turf recovery even under intense athletic traffic.
  • Condition athletic field soils to resist compaction in wet and dry weather.
  • Absorb excess water during rains to prevent muddy, torn-up turf.

Turface granules have 74% pore space which allows them to hold water and oxygen in a nearly perfect balance. They also store nutrients vital to plant growth.

  • Stable particles have less than 5% degradation in 20 years.
  • High nutrient storage (CEC of 33 meq/100g).
  • Nearly perfect balance between air and water porosity.

Native Soil Amended with Turface or Profile Greens Grade

  • Turface adds permanent porosity to the soil, which improves drainage, increases oxygen levels and helps the soil resist compaction.
  • Soils modified with Turface maintain ideal soil characteristics for superior athletic fields.

Water Air Solid

Turface amended native soil

80% Sand / 20% Profile Greens Grade

  • Profile Greens Grade increases water holding, drainage and nutrient retention.
  • Profile Greens Grade/sand root zones hold up to intense athletic traffic.
  • Similar results could be expected from Turface MVP or Pro League.

Porosity Almost Ideal Porosity almost ideal

Sand profile performance

Study of Profile Greens Grade for Sand Root Zones

Profile Greens Grade replaces peat and dramatically improves the moisture and nutrient holding ability of sand root zones. Unlike peat, Profile Greens Grade improves the drainage of sand root zones for today's high-performance athletic fields. Profile Greens Grade is used in many NFL, college, and high school sand-based fields, as well as thousands of golf greens. Over the life of sand-based athletic fields constructed with Profile Greens Grade, there are substantial savings reported by groundskeepers:

  • Accelerated grow-in.
  • Reduced water usage up to 20%.
  • Reduced fertilizer usage up to 25%.
  • Reduced core aerification up to 50%.
  • Reduced chemical treatments for disease and algae.

Profile Greens Grade increases drainage at the same time it increases moisture retention, a result of balancing air and water pore space in the root zone.

80% / 20% Sand / Amendment Mix

  100% Sand w/Peat w/Profile™
Perk Rate inches/hour Saturated Hydraulic Conductivity USGA 26.6 14.0 33.0
Non Capillary Pore % 21.4 17.5 24.1
Capillary Pore Space % 18.1 26.6 20.7
Total Pore Space % 39.5 44.1 44.8
Bulk Density (grams per cubic centimeter) 1.6 1.5 1.5
Water Retention at Field Capacity % 11.3 18.3 14.3

Top 10 Tips for Field Maintenance [PDF]

Coaches & Groundskeepers Guide [PDF]

Click here to watch the Turface Soil
Conditioner Demo.

Return to top

 

Customer Appreciation Day is Coming Up: Register Now!

Click here for wholesale pricing & availability.

Click here to view our Specialty grass seeds.

Click here to find out more about our professional seminars.

Click here to tour our contractor center.

Click here to view our plant catalog.

Click here to join our Pro List and save!

Click here to learn more about our rentals, parts and equipment.

Click here for our Mulch request form.

Click here to use our helpful coverage calculators.

Click here for helpful hints.

spacer
         
Contractor Center: Basics of Soil Science for Growing Turf
       
  Garden Center | Contractor Center | Plants | Water Gardening | Mulch / Soils | Alternative Fuels | Natural Stone | Pavers & Walls | Pottery / Statuary | Lawn/Garden | Links | Careers | Contact Us | Site Map  
       
  Northeast Nursery Garden Center
234 Newbury Street, Peabody, MA 01960
Telephone: 978-535-6550
Hours: Mon-Sat 7-6, Sun 8-6
Click here for Map and Driving Directions
Northeast Nursery Contractor Center
6 Dearborn Road, Peabody, MA 01960
Telephone: 978-854-4520
Hours: Mon-Sat 7-6, Sun 8-6
Click here for Map and Driving Direction
 
     
 

©Copyright 2005-2012 Northeast Nursery, Inc. All rights reserved.
Please note: Although we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date information on our web site, policies, pricing, and availability are subject to change without notice.
We only ship to the New England Area. Northeast Nursery, Inc. is not responsible for typographical errors.

Follow us on Facebook/NortheastNursery
Follow us on Facebook

Web site design by Eyeland Creations.