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IMPORTANCE OF SOIL IMPROVEMENT WITH A CHANGING CLIMATE Can Turf and Compost Enhanced Soils help to Mitigate the Effects of Climate Change? By Ron Alexander | R. Alexander Associates, Inc. | www.alexassoc.net | Apex, NC | Ron@alexassoc.net
The
climate is changing, and with it our weather patterns. This could be a particular problem for North Carolina. While the end of 2021 found many coastal counties in severe drought conditions, we also saw mud slides in the NC mountains caused by heavy and lengthy rainstorms. While some still debate the reality of climate change, others are working to adjust the way they do business to better mitigate its affects, or at least, better adapt to its affects. Even though land management practices — including landscaping and turf management — are slowly changing, they really need to do so at a much more rapid pace in order to meet the requirements of both clients and the environment (and related regulations). Improving the soil before establishing turf could be part of the solution. In North Carolina, most of our soils are at the extreme. In the eastern part of the state, we have sandy, droughty soils that are low in organic matter, nutrients and nutrient holding capacity. These soils are prone to wind erosion. In most of the rest of the state, we have fine textured soils high in clay (and silt) content. While these soils can hold water and plant nutrients, they are also easy to compact and poor in water acceptance and percolation (which is why they are also prone to water erosion). Further, when they are dry, they can become extremely hard. Remember, most plants do not thrive in these clay soils, especially when they are compacted, as air and water movement – key to root growth – is restricted. Further, plants expel more energy to move their roots downward through a clay soil profile, as opposed to loamy or sandy soils (which contain larger pore spaces). Both sandy and fine textured soils can be dramatically improved by amending them with stabilized organic matter, and the most economical and available form of such is commercially manufactured compost. There are various commercial-scale compost manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, operated by both private companies and public entities. Several of these compost manufacturers participate in the US Composting Council’s Seal of Testing Assurance Program (STA Program), which is the national compost testing and certification program for compost, and some are Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) Listed, which means that there are allowable for use in certified organic production. A few of the facilities manufacture products that are both STA Program certified and OMRI Listed (such as City of Raleigh (919-625-3175) and Mecklenburg County (704-621-7372)).
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Applying Compost on Roadside
Compost incorporation After
May/June 2022
