Evaluation of physical properties of typical urban green space soils in Binhai Area, Tianjin, China

Abstract

The physical properties of soil in a coastal area of Tianjin were evaluated to diagnose the causes of the restricted growth of garden plants. Evaluation of soil physical properties was performed using indicators of soil organic matter content, bulk density, aeration characteristics, and water holding characteristics. Brief working definitions of these properties is given below, along with some generalized optimal ranges and critical limits obtained from the literature. The result showed that relative water capacity (RWC) and inflection point of the water characteristic curve (S) can indicate both soil aeration and water conductivity to a certain extent. The physical properties of the three typical soils in the area are poor, with poor aeration and tillage ability, and even have the possibility of soil degradation. The physical properties of park lawn foreign soil (PFS) and idle urban land foreign soil (IFS) are worse than blended foreign soil (BFS), which means that PFS and IFS may severely limit the growth of urban plants. The soil texture and organic matter content may be important factors affecting soil physical properties.