Soil Testing 
The chemical or physical measurement of a particular characteristic of a soil. Soil testing is routinely carried out on turfgrass soils, with typical examples being testing for
• pH;
• nutrients, especially P and K;
• particle size analysis;
• organic matter content;
• hydraulic conductivity;
• water infiltration;
• soil strength (ASSB test), primarily for cricket and tennis soils;
• thatch depth;
• root depth;
• rootzone medium depth;
• hardness / compaction.
Soil Textural Triangle
A triangle in which the texture of a soil can be readily determined. There are two soil textural triangles in use: The UK Soil Textural Triangle, and the USDA Soil Textural Triangle.
Soil Texture
The proportion of sand, silt and clay in a soil. There are 11 main classes of soil texture in the UK (see UK Soil Textural Triangle), from the Soil Survey of England and Wales (SSEW), and these can be determined by using a soil textural triangle. A soil with a light texture will be mostly sandy, whilst that of a heavy texture will be quite clayey.
Soil Type
A description of a soil which is based on its soil texture. However, other features such as soil pH, organic matter content, lime content, nutrient status may also be included within a description.
Soil Water Balance Sheet
A method, using a table of columns and rows, of monitoring the estimated available water within a soil, taking into account losses from evapo-transpiration and additions from rainfall and irrigation. A soil water balance sheet can help to manage irrigation requirements during the main growing season, especially over the drier growth periods.
Sour Soil
An agricultural term, often used in turfculture prior to the mid-20th Century and still sometimes in gardening, meaning an acid soil which would most likely be less than pH 6.0.
Sphericity
The closeness of an object to a perfect ball shape. This is a term that is used in describing sand particles: see sand sphericity.
Splash Plate
A concrete, or similar, block which is located beneath a major outfall pipe. Water discharged from the pipe will drop onto the splash plate without causing soil erosion. Without a splash plate soil erosion can occur at a significant rate.
Stone
Hard material which has been produced by the crushing of rock by machinery. It is commonly termed crushed stone and is used in landscaping work and the construction of sports pitches, being of an angular size to aid stability the structure.
Stones between 4mm and 64mm diameter (using the Udden-Wentworth scale for grain size) are often termed pebbles and these are commonly found within natural soil profiles for sports pitches or landscaping work. The terms gravel and stone are often used interchangeably.
For sports turf construction the use of the term stone is sometimes used to distingu
Continue reading about this
Storage Micropore