Landcare quick soil monitoring form

Landcare quick soil monitoring form

Based on Brian Wehlburg workshops. This will save the data to the landcare jotform account, or you can create your own free account and copy this form for your own use (in which case delete the name and email fields). You can get the paper version of this form, and the fact sheet that explains it in full, from https://www.bellingerlandcare.org.au/projects/bellinger-landcare-regenerative-farming-network/. A summary of how to set up the transect is at the very bottom of this form if you need it.
Name

First NameLast Name
Email
example@example.com
Basic details for the transect
Aims
what are you trying to achieve, overall, on this transect?
Main strategies
what are the main tools/strategies you have used here since last your monitoring?
date of monitoring

MonthDayYear
2 digit month, 2 digit day, 4 digit yearDate
Property name if you have >1
Paddock name and transect if >1 in the paddock
eg South paddock, western transect
Desirable perennial grasses across the whole transect
scroll back up here as you find more, or jot on a piece of paper and fill in at the end. ‘Desirable’ means that your ivestock will eat it. All the species you saw inthe transect. If unknown, take more photos, you can always get someone to helpID them later.
Desirable annual grasses across the whole transect
scroll back up here as you find more, or jot on a piece of paper and fill in at the end.
Desirable forbs across the whole transect
scroll back up here as you find more, or jot on a piece of paper and fill in at the end.
undesirable plants across the whole transect
scroll back up here as you find more, or jot on a piece of paper and fill in at the end.
Start photo (Take a photo along the transect from the start (internet required))
Upload photos here later if offline

If you are out of reception, take a photo with your camera (the solocator app is excellent for adding in geotagged details) and then upload back at home. You could upload extra photos from other quadrats here if you have no reception- place your hand in the corner with the number of fingers showing the quadrat number.
Cancelof
Quadrat 1- start of transect

First, some questions just for the first quadrat.
Quadrat 1 (Take a top down photo of the quadrat (internet required))
pH start of transect
Penetrometer start of transect- Depth in cm 300psi reached
This is the PSI at which many roots start to find it difficult to penetrate. For best results take several samples and average, ignore ones that seem to hit rocks etc.
Penetrometer start of transect- Depth in cm 300psi stopped
Some pastures have a hard pan, so the pressure drops back off once you get through it. If this happens, record the depth. Either tough deep rooted plants may break it up eventually, or you might consider deep ripping through it if it is extensive.
Penetrometer start of transect- Depth in cm 600psi reached
Penetrometer start of transect- rough average PSI
If you can get the penetrometer down to 60cm or so, roughly what was the average PSI as you did?
water infiltration in seconds- start of transect
Pull away the plant material, and hammer in the threaded end piece of a 100mm PVC downpipe section (you may need to shave its edges sharp). Make sure no water leaks out of the ring, and time how long until 240ml of water is absorbed into the soil (this approximated 1” of rain). You can use a regular piece of 100mm pipe, in that case add 200ml of water. You can use 190ml (or 160ml) to simulate 20mm of rainfall instead.
Brix meter reading- start of transect
Brix meters are calibrated for 20oC, so try to take measurements close to that temperature. First rinse and calibrate the meter with distilled water, there should be a sharp line at zero Brix. Then harvest whatever plant you are interested in, crush in a garlic press or pliers, and put some of the solution on the Brix meter (avoid any solids). Record your Brix value, and the fuzziness range. The value itself is a measure of dissolved sucrose (and other minerals) and give an indication, but not direct correlation, of nutrient value. Because Brix readings vary through the day and with temperature, it is worth investing in your own, and monitoring Brix more often than shown on this monitoring sheet. A hand held manual one is quite cheap. See the fact sheet for more details.
Brix fuzziness- start of transect
Pasture (area needed in m2)- start of transect
What size in m2 is needed to feed an animal for a day. Measure out 1m2 of ground, and collect all of the pasture which your animals would eat into a bag, either simply rip it up, or cut with shears. For a cow (dry steer) sheep*, see how what fraction of a 20kg feed bag that 1m2fills (squash the grass right down into it). Then work out how many m2 would be needed to fill the bag. Eg if 1/10 of the bag is full, you would need 10m2 for feed the cow for a day). Sheep eat about 1/7th: use a calico shopping bag instead of the feed bag. This is a very rough guide, see the fact sheet for other methods.
Quadrat 1 general questions

These you will answer for all quadrats
1. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
1. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
Capping can occur when heavyrain falls on exposed soil, followed by warm dry weather. The cap is an impenetrable barrier whichmakes seed emergence difficult and can increase rainfall runoff. You are looking for a solid crust on the topof the soil which you can lift off.
1. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
Your insights will improveover time. Are there ants, moths, spider webs, earthworm holes, etc?
1. Is leaf litter:
The ideal litter density iswhen the soil is covered but some light manages to get through to the soilsurface to stimulate germination. 'mulching litter' is simply covering bare ground, ‘composting’ is actively breaking down and starting to create new soil.
1. % desirable perennial grasses
(the original sheet just has 0-25, 26-50, 51-75 and 76-100, but you will get a better picture if you give even a rough actual %)
1. % desirable annual grasses
1. % desirable forbs
1. % undesirable plants
1. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 2

don't worry, this will be quicker :-)!
quadrat 2
2. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
2. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
2. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
2. Is leaf litter:
2. % desirable perennial grasses
2. % desirable annual grasses
2. % desirable forbs
2. % undesirable plants
2. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 3
quadrat 3
3. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
3. Soil capping %
3. Evidence of life
3. Is leaf litter:
3. % desirable perennial grasses
3. % desirable annual grasses
3. % desirable forbs
3. % undesirable plants
3. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 4
quadrat 4
4. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
4. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
4. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
4. Is leaf litter:
4. % desirable perennial grasses
4. % desirable annual grasses
4. % desirable forbs
4. % undesirable plants
4. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 5 (middle)

(or the half way transect if using less than 10- you do the pH and penetrometer again here
quadrat 5
pH quadrat 5
Penetrometer quadrat 5 - Depth in cm 300psi reached
Penetrometer quadrat 5- Depth in cm 300psi stopped
Penetrometer quadrat 5- Depth in cm 600psi reached
Penetrometer quadrat 5- rough average PSI
If you can get the penetrometer down to 60cm or so, roughly what was the average PSI as you did?
5. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
5. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
5. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
5. Is leaf litter:
5. % desirable perennial grasses
5. % desirable annual grasses
5. % desirable forbs
5. % undesirable plants
5. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 6
quadrat 6
6. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
6. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
6. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
6. Is leaf litter:
6. % desirable perennial grasses
6. % desirable annual grasses
6. % desirable forbs
6. % undesirable plants
6. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 7
quadrat 7
7. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
7. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
7. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
7. Is leaf litter:
7. % desirable perennial grasses
7. % desirable annual grasses
7. % desirable forbs
7. % undesirable plants
7. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 8
quadrat 8
8. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
8. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
8. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
8. Is leaf litter:
8. % desirable perennial grasses
8. % desirable annual grasses
8. % desirable forbs
8. % undesirable plants
8. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 9
quadrat 9
9. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
9. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
9. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
9. Is leaf litter:
9. % desirable perennial grasses
9. % desirable annual grasses
9. % desirable forbs
9. % undesirable plants
9. Wind or water erosion:
Quadrat 10 (end)
Take a photo back along the transect from the end (internet required)
Or take a photo with you camera and then upload here when back in reception.

Cancelof
pH quadrat 10
Penetrometer quadrat 10- Depth in cm 300psi reached
Penetrometer quadrat 10- Depth in cm 300psi stopped
Penetrometer quadrat 10- Depth in cm 600psi reached
Penetrometer quadrat 10- rough average PSI
If you can get the penetrometer down to 60cm or so, roughly what was the average PSI as you did?
water infiltration in seconds- end of transect
(scroll back to here when finished the rest of the monitoring)
Brix meter reading- end of transect
Brix fuzziness- end of transect
Pasture (area needed in m2)- end of transect
x. Soil surface- What % of the soil surface is bare
Bare soil is any soil whichis exposed to raindrops or direct sunlight.
x. Soil capping- What % of the soil surface is capped
x. Evidence of life for this season and time of day (compared to 'average')
x. Is leaf litter:
x. % desirable perennial grasses
x. % desirable annual grasses
x. % desirable forbs
x. % undesirable plants
x. Wind or water erosion:
Overall is this transect moving towards your goals for it?
why or why not?
new steps
what new steps will you take between now and next monitoring?
How to set up the transect (from the fact sheet)

Jotform has no formatting abilities, a better formatted version is at https://www.bellingerlandcare.org.au/projects/bellinger-landcare-regenerative-farming-network/ .You want a representative sample of each paddock or area of interest. In highly variable paddocks you may need a few sites. Find a starting point you will be able toeasily come back to in six months, and note its location on the monitoringsheet. For example, 5 metres north of aspecific paddock tree, or fence post, then heading due south, or towards themacadamia tree, or a shed. It might be useful to hammera bright plastic tent peg down to ground level. It may be easiest at first tolay out a tape or string along your chosen line. Place the measuring square on the ground andfill in the table for quadrat 1. The size of the square doesn’t matter, as weare dealing in percentages. Brian usesan internal length of 50cm. After measuring the first quadrat, move 3-5m alongthe string and drop your sampling square, conduct the measurements, then repeatup to quadrat 10. The water infiltration, pH, brix meter, pasture volume andpenetrometer readings are conducted around quadrat 1 and 10. The rest at every quadrat. In our field tests, the process became muchIt is vital to take photos,at least at each end of the transect looking along the transect and a top-downphoto of each quadrat that will allow you to go back and compare your data asthe years go by. Additional photos will help you go back and identify plantspecies later. If you are keen. Brianrecommends at minimum annual monitoring, better every six months especially ifyou have some year-round plant growth.
Should be Empty:

Landcare quick soil monitoring form

Basic details for the transect

Quadrat 1- start of transect

Quadrat 1 general questions

Quadrat 2

Quadrat 3

Quadrat 4

Quadrat 5 (middle)

Quadrat 6

Quadrat 7

Quadrat 8

Quadrat 9

Quadrat 10 (end)

How to set up the transect (from the fact sheet)