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| Web URL(s): | https://gsrpdf.lib.msu.edu/?file=/1930s/1931/310116.pdf#page=2
Last checked: 01/25/2017
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| Publication Type:
| Professional |
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| Content Type: | Q & A |
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| Corporate Author(s): | USGA Green Section |
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| Title: | Preparation of sandy soil for fairways by the use of mushroom soil, marl, and bone meal. |
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| Section: | Questions and answers
Other records with the "Questions and answers" Section
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| Source: | The Bulletin of the United States Golf Association Green Section. Vol. 11, No. 1, January 1931, p. 17-18. |
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| Publishing Information: | Washington, DC: USGA Green Section |
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| # of Pages: | 2 |
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| Question: | "We are about to begin the construction of a new course where the soil is almost pure sand. Mushroom soil has been recommended to us as the best material we can put on this sand in building the fairways. At what rate should it be applied? We have a deposit of marl on our property and it is thought by some that this might be used to advantage. Would the marl bake too much?" |
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| Source of Question: | New Jersey |
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| Answer/Response: | "Mushroom soil would not permanently improve the physical texture of your soil as much as marl or clay would if used in like amount. A great deal of the mushroom soil would be gradually decomposed and thus disappear, while the marl or clay would remain mixed with the sand indefinitely. On the other hand, mushroom soil is of high fertilizing value, while marl is not. The marl could therefore be used in place of mushroom soil provided it is reinforced with fertilizer. Further, mushroom soil provides considerable organic matter, while marl does not. Some organic matter is desirable, but it is expensive to provide much organic matter by means of manures and mushroom soil. If you apply marl sufficiently to get a fair top soil and supply sufficient fertilizer to insure a heavy stand of grass, the roots of the grass and the return of the grass clippings will in time build up the organic content of the soil. However the use of some mushroom soil or well-rotted manure would help in the early stages, and as much as possible could be used to advantage regardless of the marl that might also be used. Bone meal is especially good for use during construction work on sandy soils since the nitrogen it contains lasts some time, being slowly available. It contains also an abundance of phosphorus, and some lime. An application of one ton of bone meal to the acre on sandy soil would not be too heavy. Bone meal is however deficient in potash, which is often needed on sandy soils; therefore 100 pounds of muriate or sulphate of potash should be applied to each acre when bone meal is used on sand. Much better results are obtained by planting sandy soils in early fall than in spring. Spring plantings on very sandy soil usually suffer during the summer unless there is an artificial water supply. If you could put off planting the grass until the following September your soil would be much improved in the meantime by planting it to field peas in the spring and plowing them under in the summer, as in this way a considerable quantity of organic material would be incorporated in the soil. In this case the marl should not be applied until the field peas are plowed under, as it would not be advisable to bury the marl as deep as would be necessary while plowing the peas under. Marl will help to improve the physical nature of your soil by making the sand with which it is mixed more capable of retaining moisture and plant foods. If thoroughly mixed, by cultivation, with the top few inches of sandy soil, it will not harden or bake enough to be objectionable. A great deal of marl however would have to be used in order to directly change the physical character of your soil to any extent. About 130 cubic yards of marl to the acre, mixed with the top 2 or 3 inches of sand, would make a fairly good loamy top soil. Such large quantities of marl are not absolutely necessary provided sufficient fertilizer is used and the planting is done in the fall. As much marl as the club can afford should be spread and cultivated so as to mix it with the top few inches of the sand. It is better to have a mixture of marl and sand than a layer of pure marl lying on the sand." |
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| Keywords: | TIC Keywords: Bone meal; Golf fairway construction; Marl; Recommendations; Sandy soils; Seedbed preparation; Seeding time; Soil improvement; Spent mushroom substrates
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| Language: | English |
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| References: | 0 |
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| ASA/CSSA/SSSA Citation (Crop Science-Like - may be incomplete):
USGA Green Section. 1931. Preparation of sandy soil for fairways by the use of mushroom soil, marl, and bone meal.. Bull. U.S. Golf Assoc. Green Sec. 11(1):p. 17-18. |
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https://gsrpdf.lib.msu.edu/?file=/1930s/1931/310116.pdf#page=2
Last checked: 01/25/2017
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MSU catalog number: SB 433.15 .B85 |
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