Comparison of Methods to Remediate Compacted Soil for Grass Establishment.

Abstract

The process of constructing roads and buildings usually results in the removal of topsoil and severe compaction of the remaining subsoil material. This presents multiple challenges in attempts to establish vegetation: low nutrient soils with little organic matter, high bulk densities, and low infiltration rates. The overall goal of the project is to quantify the impacts of soil compaction remediation methods on vegetation and infiltration rates. We are evaluating three treatments: a compacted soil, a compacted soil with core aeration, and a compacted soil with deep (20-30 cm) tillage. The objectives are to measure infiltration rates over time, measure quantity and quality of storm water runoff, and determine area coverage, biomass production, and rooting depth of vegetation during early establishment. Preliminary results show that the aeration treatment resulted in the highest erosion and runoff rate. There seems to be little difference between the control and aerated plots for vegetative establishment and infiltration rates, but there is high variation among the control plots. The deep tilled plots seem to be outperforming the control and aerated plots in all measurements including runoff reduction, sediment loss, biomass production, and vegetative coverage.