Installation schedule considerations include not only grass seed
germination but also other time constraints associated with actual
on-site construction. In scheduling and implementing soil
amendments the following should be taken into consideration.
Turf germination period. Seed
germination and subsequent turf establishment can take anywhere
from nine to twelve weeks, depending upon the climatic zone. The
critical window for seed germination is usually within the first 2
to 3 weeks and grass seed will germinate only if proper water,
soil and air temperature considerations are met. Soil amending is
discouraged immediately after turf establishment as well as during
frozen soil conditions.
Site development schedule. As
the building construction completion date is often the primary
factor in determining the landscape installer’s schedule the
implementation of soil amendments are limited to a particular
timeframe, usually after building construction and driveway and
sidewalk installation. Care should be taken to ensure that soil
amendments are implemented during the right season and under the
right conditions in relation to other landscaping activities and
that the soil will not be adversely affected by the potential
compaction of construction equipment after the amendment process.
Soil
amendments can be implemented on existing developments, when
replacing or modifying an existing lawn, and are usually not subject
to limited time constraints, just the season and current weather
conditions. The recommended procedure is to first remove the lawn
by use of a sod cutter and then amend the soil as if installing a
new lawn at the site. If stored correctly the lawn can be easily
replaced after the soil has been amended.
The following is
a summary of a typical sequence of construction for the installation
of soil amendments.
Southern Maryland
Wood Treating Site:
On-Site Thermal Desorption of Contaminated Soils,
Excavation (Source:
US EPA)
Step one:
Initial soil
disturbance. This
is usually performed with tractor, sometimes in combination with a
ripper attachment if the soil is highly compacted.
Step two:
Uniformly
break-up subsoil. Most soils
will require at least two passes with a rototiller to adequately
break-up and prepare the subsoil for amendment uptake.
Rock removal.
The
removal of rocks on-site is performed as necessary – by hand, by
rake, or by the use of mechanical equipment.
Step four:
Distribution
of imported compost.
Step five:
Lime and
Fertilizer application. The rates of
these two soil amendments are determined by soil analysis;
application is achieved along with compost distribution.
Step six:
Soil
integration, Most soils
will required at least 2-passes with a rototiller to adequately
integrate and prepare the subsoil for amendment uptake.
Step seven:
Grading and
rolling of site, The final
aspect of the soil amending process prior to turf establishment is
to achieve a uniformly smooth site surface.
Southern Maryland
Wood Treating Site:
On-Site Thermal Desorption of Contaminated Soils,
Final Grading and LeafGro Placement (Source:
US EPA)
