Across
- 5. minimum depth (in inches) of topsoil required per guidelines for sod establishment
- 7. soil horizon made of mostly humus or organic matter such as decomposing leaves, it may be thin in some soils, thick in others, or not present
- 10. simple roundworms that live in the soil and eat bacteria, fungi, algae, plants or each other
- 11. minimum percentage of organic matter required in topsoil for turfgrass
- 13. term for the cultivation of land or prepared surface soil
- 14. term from Greek derived from “rock/stone” and “blood of the Gods”, a pleasant smell that frequently accompanies the first rain after a long period of warm, dry weather
- 15. giants of the soil ecosystem that help mix soil and create aeration, consume other soil life, assist with the breakdown of organic matter, and excrete more beneficial organisms in their castings
Down
- 1. B horizon in a soil profile with accumulated minerals leached from higher in the soil profile
- 2. fungi in the soil that form a relationship with plant roots and increase their ability to take up nutrients from the soil
- 3. base of the soil food web
- 4. single-celled organisms in the soil that make up to 80% of the nitrogen used by plants
- 6. A horizon in a soil profile composed of mostly minerals from parent material with organic matter incorporated, a good material for plants and other organisms to live
- 8. average years required to create one inch of topsoil
- 9. the largest group of organisms in the soil environment, some are responsible for converting atmospheric nitrogen to plant available forms
- 12. term for the workability of a soil, easily crumbled