1. ASLA’s New Landscape Soil Specification System
ASLA Professional Practice Committee By
Barrett L. Kays, Ph.D., FASLA

2. ASLA Professional Practice Committee
ASLA PPC is developing two new publications entitled:
“Soils Analysis and Design for Landscape Plantings”
“Soils Design Testing and Specifications for Landscape Plantings”

3. Publication Chapters
“Soils Analysis and Design for Landscape Plantings”
Selecting the Type of Landscape/Soil Setting
Selecting the Type of Landscape Plantings
Solving Soil Landscape Design Issues

4. Publication Chapters
“Soils Design Testing and Speci-fications for Landscape Plantings”
Selecting the Types of Landscape Soil
Determining the Types of Design Soil Testing
Determining the Types of Construct-ion Soil Testing
Preparing the Soil Specifications

5. Structural Soils at the Great Lawn in Central Park

6. Types of Custom Soil Solutions
Amended on-site topsoils
Amended on-site subsoils
Imported native mineral soils
Imported native organic soils
Manufactured structural soils
Manufactured light weight soils
Manufactured moisture retentive soils
Manufactured layered soils

7. Landscape/Soil Setting
Determining soil characteristics from your county soil survey
Soil texture
Soil depth
Drainage classes
Soil structure
Soil density
Permeability
Hydrologic groups
Hydraulic conductivity
Available water capacity
Depth to seasonally high water table
Shrink-swell potential
Soil disturbance

8. Soil Drainage Classes
Select plants by the drainage class of the soils on your site
Very poorly drained – water table within 12” and dark surface soil – obligate & facultative wet plants
Poorly drained – water table within 12” – facultative wet & facultative plants
Somewhat poorly drained – water table 12 to 24” –facultative plants
Moderately well drained – water table 24 to 48” – facultative upland plants
Well drained – water table 48 to 72” – upland plants
Somewhat excessively well drained – water table 72 to 96” – drought resistant plants
Excessively well drained – water table greater than 96” – drought resistant plants

9. Depth to Seasonal Water Table
Gray soil colors are due to high water table and leaching of iron
Soil horizons that are dominate gray are due to water table in the horizon for extended periods of time during normal year
Soil horizons that have gray mottles are due to seasonal water table in the horizon for at least 28 days during the wetter season
Iron oxides produces the reddish colors in soil
After the iron leaches, it leaves a gray color
The iron that leaches then moves downward in the soil and then precipitates and forms red mottles just above the normal water table.

10. Munsell Soil Color for 10 Yellowish Red Hues

11. Seasonally High Water Table Using Gray Soil Colors

12. Soil Water Characteristics Hydraulic Properties Calculator
Soil Water Calculator
Soil Water Characteristics Hydraulic Properties Calculator
http//hydrolab.arsusda.gov/soilwater/index.htm

13. Amending Clayey Soils On-Site

14. Installing Manufactured Structural Soil Material

16. Installing Manufactured Sandy Soil Material

17. Types of Soil Testing Soil texture Analysis Soil physical analysis
Sand, silt & clay percent
Sand graduation
Soil physical analysis
Bulk density
Hydraulic conductivity
Infiltration rate
Moisture holding capacity
Soil chemical analysis
Soil fertility analysis
Soil incubation fertility analysis
Biological testing
Layered soil testing
Compost testing

18. Soil Core Sampling for Laboratory Hydraulic Conductivity Testing

19. Incubation Soil Fertility Testing
Mixing of limestone
Raises soil pH
Mixing of sulfur
Lowers soil pH
Mixing of gypsum
Improves soil structure in alkaline soils
Mixing of phosphorus
Overcomes fixation in acidic soils
Mixing of organic humus
Improves structure, moisture and nutrients

21. Appendices RFP for on-site soil survey
State and provincial soil testing laboratories in US and Canada
Laboratory testing method references
Physical testing
Chemical testing
Fertility testing
Fertility incubation testing
Biological soil testing
Layered soil testing
Compost testing
Imported topsoil standards
Compost and peat-humus standards
List of commercial physical amendments
List of commercial fertilizers
List of organic fertilizers
Limestone standards

22. ASLA’s New Landscape Soil Specification System
ASLA Professional Practice Committee By
Barrett L. Kays, Ph.D., FASLA