The soil used in the present study, was sampled in January 2007 (after 4 years of fertilizer amendment). The time of sampling ensured that there were minimal effects of the most recent fertilization episode (April 2006), and that possible effects observed would be representative of the 4 year amendment history. From each of the 33 plots, soil was collected with an auger from the top 20 cm by taking 15 sub-samples in a 3 5 grid and pooled. The soil was spread on a table overnight to dry at room temperature and subsequently sieved through a 5 mm sieve and stored at 20 C. Soil was sampled again in the autumn of 2008 (after 6 years of fertilizer amendment) for determination of soil texture.