What is the purpose of Structural Soil?
THE PURPOSE OF STRUCTURAL SOIL (also known as Gap-Graded Soil) is to provide the required engineered support for hardscape surface materials while maintaining a favorable (oxygenated) root environment below. Structural Soil is made by mixing rock and soil together in the correct proportions.
How to make Structural Soil?
The soil needed to make structural soil should be loam to clay loam containing at least 20% clay to maximize water and nutrient holding capacity. The proportion of soil to stone is approximately 80% stone to 20% soil by dry weight, with a small amount of hydrogel aiding in the uniform blending of the two materials.
What is structural topsoil?
Structural soil is comprised of a mixture of gap-graded gravels, which are typically made from crushed stone, a hydrogen stabilizing agent and clay loam. This type of soil is perfect when planning to plant trees, especially beside pavement sidewalks or roadways. Changing Landscaping.
How is Structural Soil in tree pits?
How does it work? The stone components of CU-Structural Soil® come together during compaction, forming a strong, load-bearing, compacted stone base suitable for paving over, while the large voids between the stones provide room for an uncompacted clay loam soil and allow for root growth and aeration of the root zone.
What is sand based structural soil?
Structural soil/sand is a heavily compacted media with little to no nutrient-rich soil. Trees may grow well in it at first, but once the soil in the matrix is exhausted and along with a very fragmented and weak root system, the trees begin to decline.
What are silva cells?
The Silva Cell is a modular suspended pavement system that uses soil volumes to support large tree growth and provide powerful on-site stormwater management through absorption, evapotranspiration, and interception.
What is a soil cell?
Soil cells, also known as Silva Cells, are typically enclosed at the top and bottom, and most have a top or deck that concurrently acts as a roof to the soil enclosure and as a base for placing aggregates, casting concrete, or placing other hard surface materials on top of the soil cells.
What are tree cells?
Phloem cells are elongated cells specialized for the transport of plant nutrients, such as the carbohydrates made during photosynthesis. The vascular cambium lies just inside the phloem cells. It produces phloem cells on its outside face, and xylem cells on its inside surface.
What are structural soil cells?
BENEFITS OF SOIL CELLS Soil cells, also known as Silva Cells, are typically enclosed at the top and bottom, and most have a top or deck that concurrently acts as a roof to the soil enclosure and as a base for placing aggregates, casting concrete, or placing other hard surface materials on top of the soil cells.
What is phloem and xylem?
Plants have tissues to transport water, nutrients and minerals. Xylem transports water and mineral salts from the roots up to other parts of the plant, while phloem transports sucrose and amino acids between the leaves and other parts of the plant.
What is inside of tree called?
The Inside Story The inner bark, or “phloem”, is pipeline through which food is passed to the rest of the tree. It lives for only a short time, then dies and turns to cork to become part of the protective outer bark. Heartwood is the central, supporting pillar of the tree.
What do soil cells do?
What should be the composition of Structural Soil?
Composition. Structural soil is composed of crushed stone (typically limestone or granite) narrowly graded from ¾-1 ½” highly angular with no fines, clay loam which should conform to the USDA soil classification system. The hydrogel is added in a small amount to prevent the separation of the stone and soil during mixing and installation.
What do you need to know about CU Structural Soil?
CU-Structural Soil®, also known as CU-Soil®, is a two-part system comprised of a rigid stone “lattice” that meets engineering requirements for a load-bearing paving base, and a quantity of uncompacted soil that supports tree root growth.
What is the proportion of soil to stone?
The proportion of soil to stone is approximately 80% stone to 20% soil by dry weight, with a small amount of hydrogel aiding in the uniform blending of the two materials.
When was Structural Soil developed by Cornell University?
Structural soil was researched and developed in the 1990s by Cornell University ’s Urban Horticulture Institute. In 1999, AMEREQ signed a licensing agreement with Cornell University and currently holds the patent rights to Cornell’s CU-Structural Soil Urban Tree Planting Mix.