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| Publication Type:
| Professional |
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| Author(s): | Roberts, Eliot |
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| Author Affiliation: | Ph.D., Director, The Lawn Institute, Pleasant Hill, Tennessee |
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| Title: | Particle size influence on fertilizer response in soils |
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| Source: | Texas Turfgrass. Vol. 44, No. 2, Summer 1991, p. 9-12. |
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| Publishing Information: | College Station, TX: Texas Turfgrass Association, Inc., 1003 Howe |
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| Keywords: | TIC Keywords: Fertilizers; Soils; Particle size; Root zone
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| Abstract/Contents: | "Recent articles in lawn and sports turf trade journals have focused attension on similarities and differences between wet and dry methods of fertilizer application. Research has looked thoroughly at distribution patterns of granular fertilizers spread by both drop and centrifugal type equipment. Particle size and density have been recognized as determining factors in uniformity of distribution. Particle size is related to pick-up by putting green mowers following application, as larger particles tend to become trapped in foliage that is removed in mowing. Turfgrass fertilization research over the years has generated good sound recommendations for use of readily available materials in small amounts frequently, while slow-release materials can be used in larger amounts that are applied less frequently. We need to consider fertilizer particle size in relation to sizes of soil particles and to chemical and biological reactions that take place in the turfgrass rootzone. Soils are composed of mineral particles that include sand, silt and clay. Sand is the largest particle and clay, the smallest. Water in the right amount makes soil a living, dynamic system. Chemical reations that take place in the soil require water. Within this soil environment, grass roots grow and absorb water and mineral nutrients. The realization that plant roots generally exclude particles, even as small as clay, is demonstrated in the lack of these particles in the juices of watermelons and other fruit. Lawn fertilization with its objective of adding back to the soil quantities of nutrients taken up by the turf is, in fact, a more complicated process than just the physical spreading of the grass. Nutrients must penetrate the foliage and thatch and enter into or become involved in the life cycle of microorganisms active in the root zone. Key to the success of liquid fertilizer application is the transfer of nutrients from foliage and thatch to the soil as uniformly as possible. This requires rain or irrigation water because the quantity of liquid used to spread the fertilizer is seldom enough to get it into the soil." |
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| Language: | English |
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| References: | 0 |
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| Note: | Summary
Tables |
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| ASA/CSSA/SSSA Citation (Crop Science-Like - may be incomplete):
Roberts, E. 1991. Particle size influence on fertilizer response in soils. Tex. Turfgrass. 44(2):p. 9-12. |
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MSU catalog number: SB 433 .A1 T75 |
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