FREE Certified Arborist Soil Management Questions and Answers
Which kind of bacteria are essential for the humus to be produced?
Explanation:
Actinomycetes are necessary for the humus's production. These microbes boost the soil's ability to function as a buffer and promote decomposition, both of which are necessary for the production of humus. Compost is the portion of soil that has partially and completely degraded into humus.
What is the primary purpose of xeriscaping in landscaping
Explanation:
The goal of xeriscaping is to protect the landscape from droughts. In regions with inconsistent or little rainfall, this method is frequently applied. A xeriscaping strategy consists of a few fundamental elements. First, the arborist will group trees that need roughly the same quantity of rainfall. Hydrozones are the names given to these groups of trees. Low-impact irrigation is frequently used in xeriscaping. Checking soil moisture often, both before and after irrigation, can help reduce water consumption.
Which of the following soil pH levels would give plants the greatest availability of iron?
Explanation:
Iron would be most available in soil with a pH of 5. For absorption, different elements have distinct ideal pH ranges. However, when the pH of the soil is between 6 and 7.5, all of the key elements are present at appropriate levels. The elements that are necessary for soil are calcium, magnesium, iron, manganese, boron, copper, zinc, sulfur, phosphorus, potassium, and molybdenum. When an element is necessary for the growth or metabolism of the tree, it is considered essential.
Which metric provides the best indication of soil fertility?
Explanation:
The most precise measure of soil fertility among the metrics provided is cation exchange capacity. Cation exchange capacity, to put it simply, is the soil's capability to collect, hold, and exchange cations. A fine-textured soil that contains a lot of organic matter and clay will be more likely to be productive due to its high cation exchange capacity. The ability of the soil to exchange cations makes it more effective in supplying minerals and other nutrients to the tree's roots.
In the fertilizer analysis displayed on the container, which of the following is not a standard component?
Explanation:
In the fertilizer analysis indicated on the bottle, potassium phosphate is not a standard part. A breakdown of the total nitrogen, accessible phosphoric acid, and soluble potash is part of the conventional fertilizer analysis. The amounts are expressed as a percentage by weight; for example, a 50-pound bag of fertilizer marked 8-5-4 will contain 4 pounds of nitrogen, 2.5 pounds of phosphorus, and 2 pounds of potassium. While some situations may benefit from complete fertilizers, most trees just need nitrogen fertilizer.
After all gravitational water has drained and the soil has both accessible and unavailable water, what condition is it in?
Explanation:
When all of the water occupying macropores or gravitational forces has left the soil, leaving just available and unavailable water, the soil's field capacity has been reached. The residual water, sometimes referred to as capillary water, is retained in the soil's micropores. The plant can absorb this water because of its fibrous root system. Watering soil is a technique known as irrigation. When water reaches saturation, it can no longer be absorbed by the soil and starts to run off. The term ""permanent wilting point"" describes a condition of foliar desiccation in which a plant's leaves are so parched that they are unable to function normally and eventually wither.
What is the top horizon in a soil profile?
Explanation:
The top horizon in a soil profile is called the 0 horizon, while the below horizons are called the A, B, and C horizons. A horizon is a soil stratum. Most of the degrading organic matter can be found in the o horizon. Sand, clay, and silt make up the A horizon, which is darker than the layers below. Organic material from above and parent material from below combine to form the B horizon. Soil is formed from parent material in the Chorizon. Perched barely over the bedrock is the Chorizon.
What is resistance to changes in pH?
Explanation:
Another name for resistance to pH fluctuations is buffering capacity. Soils with a high percentage of clay or organic matter have a higher capacity to act as buffers. High buffering capacity soils are generally beneficial because they protect the soil from abrupt or frequent pH changes. There are a few simple ways to modify the pH of soil slightly. For example, adding lime will cause the pH to temporarily rise while adding sulfur will cause the pH to temporarily fall. Conversely, the rate at which water permeates soil is known as the infiltration rate. The amount of positively charged ions that soil can absorb and retain is known as its cation exchange capacity.
The cation exchange capacity is significantly impacted by the pH of the soil. The process by which a liquid or solid transforms into a vapor or gas is known as volatilization.
Which of the following DOES NOT always belong in the complete fertilizer?
Explanation:
A complete fertilizer does not always contain calcium. Potassium, phosphorus, and nitrogen are essential components of a complete fertilizer. In fact, the amounts of soluble potash, accessible phosphoric acid, and total nitrogen are listed in the standard analysis on the side of a fertilizer container. Note that a full fertilizer is not always the best course of action. For example, there are numerous instances where a tree is solely lacking in nitrogen and would profit more from a fertilizer targeted specifically at this shortage.
Leaching is known as:
Explanation:
Water has a process called leaching that removes chemicals from soil by washing them downward. Around the roots, this process is always occurring to some extent. Excessive leaching of nitrogen and other minerals can be dangerous to the quality of adjacent groundwater and streams in addition to depriving the tree of these essential elements. Arborists can employ some methods to reduce leaching. Arborists ought to refrain from irrigating sandy or poorly packed soils, limit the amount of fertilizer they apply, and, if feasible, use organic and slow-releasing fertilizers.
What is meant by the term "reference evapotranspiration measure"?
Explanation:
The expected amount of plant and soil water loss given a location and the current vegetation is measured by reference evapotranspiration. It is believed that the reference evapotranspiration for a particular area will not change over time, and the local agricultural commission usually keeps track of these numbers. Furthermore, reference evapotranspiration tables are frequently segmented to enable the identification of the precise impacts on specific plant groups.