From the Ground Up: A Soil Survey Report of Salamander Springs
Abstract
Permaculture farms such as Salamander Springs in Milledgeville, Georgia rely heavily on self-sustaining cultivation methods to produce a regenerative agricultural system. Analyzing the soil texture and hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) is absolutely essential in the development of a more efficient permaculture farm. Soil texture was investigated to determine the specific composition of the fine earth fraction at Salamander Springs. By calculating the percentage of sand, silt, and clay we can better understand their interactions and how the soil may need to be amended. The Ksat measure quantifies water percolation rate through a soil column over time to determine the ease of flow and gain a better understanding of how the soil performs when saturated. These soil data findings and will be compiled into an extensive soil survey report as part of a semester long ENSC 4600 ENGAGE research project detailing the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. Final soil analysis will suggest any potential remediation methods the Salamander Springs' owner can apply to her soil to enhance soil health, increase crop yield, and improve soil longevity.
Session Name:
Poster Presentation Session #2 - Poster #40
Start Date
10-4-2015 12:15 PM
End Date
10-4-2015 1:00 PM
Location
HSB 3rd Floor Student Commons
From the Ground Up: A Soil Survey Report of Salamander Springs
HSB 3rd Floor Student Commons
Permaculture farms such as Salamander Springs in Milledgeville, Georgia rely heavily on self-sustaining cultivation methods to produce a regenerative agricultural system. Analyzing the soil texture and hydraulic conductivity (Ksat) is absolutely essential in the development of a more efficient permaculture farm. Soil texture was investigated to determine the specific composition of the fine earth fraction at Salamander Springs. By calculating the percentage of sand, silt, and clay we can better understand their interactions and how the soil may need to be amended. The Ksat measure quantifies water percolation rate through a soil column over time to determine the ease of flow and gain a better understanding of how the soil performs when saturated. These soil data findings and will be compiled into an extensive soil survey report as part of a semester long ENSC 4600 ENGAGE research project detailing the physical, chemical, and biological properties of the soil. Final soil analysis will suggest any potential remediation methods the Salamander Springs' owner can apply to her soil to enhance soil health, increase crop yield, and improve soil longevity.