Soil Management Handbook - Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
Soil Management Handbook - Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
Soil Management Handbook - Ministry of Agriculture and Lands
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
Greata <strong>Soil</strong> <strong>Management</strong> Group<br />
<strong>Soil</strong> Series: Greata (GT) (GT:bl), McKinley (MK)<br />
<strong>and</strong> Valley Creek (VW)<br />
General Characteristics: These soils have<br />
developed in well drained, gravelly <strong>and</strong> stony,<br />
coarse-textured fluvioglacial overlays which<br />
vary from 30 to 100 cm in thickness. The<br />
surface stoniness varies from nonstony (S0) to<br />
very stony (S3). These soils are underlain by<br />
medium to moderately fine-textured silty <strong>and</strong><br />
clayey glaciolacustrine sediments. Drainage <strong>of</strong><br />
these soils to a specified depth range from rapid<br />
to slow depending on the thickness <strong>of</strong> the<br />
overlay. The topography <strong>of</strong> these soils vary from<br />
gentle (6 to 9%) to very strong slopes (30 to<br />
45%). There are also minor areas with slopes<br />
that are greater than 70%.<br />
Dominant <strong>Soil</strong> Limitations:<br />
• Adverse topography occurs where slopes are<br />
greater than 25%.<br />
• Surface <strong>and</strong> subsurface stoniness varies from<br />
nonstony (S0) to very stony (S3).<br />
• Compact subsoils are present below the s<strong>and</strong>y<br />
<strong>and</strong> gravelly fluvioglacial overlays.<br />
• Very weakly to moderately saline subsoils<br />
occur.<br />
• Increased soil acidification is expected after<br />
several years <strong>of</strong> irrigation <strong>and</strong> fertilizer<br />
additions.<br />
• Organic matter content <strong>of</strong> surface horizons<br />
varies from moderate to very low.<br />
Well Suited Crops: None<br />
Suited Crops: These sites are best suited to the<br />
grassl<strong>and</strong> crop, however, where slopes are less<br />
than 15%, surface textures are gravelly s<strong>and</strong>y<br />
loam to gravelly loamy s<strong>and</strong> in the top 50 cm<br />
over glaciolacustrine deposits, surfaces are<br />
nonstony (S0) to moderately stony (S2), suited<br />
crops are: alfalfa, annual vegetable crops (except<br />
root crop vegetables), blueberries, cereals, corn,<br />
forage crops -drier sites, ginseng, grapes, nursery<br />
<strong>and</strong> Christmas trees, raspberries, strawberries <strong>and</strong><br />
tree fruits. In areas that are less well drained,<br />
forage crops - wetter sites are suited. Slopes that<br />
are 15 to 25%, but have other soil conditions as<br />
listed above, are suited to grapes <strong>and</strong> tree fruits<br />
(except sour cherries, M9 <strong>and</strong> M26 apple<br />
rootstocks on slopes up to 20%) only.<br />
<strong>Management</strong> Inputs:<br />
Stone Removal: Stone removal will be required for<br />
moderately stony soils (S2) when crops other than<br />
tree fruits <strong>and</strong> grapes are grown.<br />
Erosion Control Practices: Crops to be grown on<br />
slopes greater than 9% will require conservation<br />
practices to prevent soil erosion.<br />
Water <strong>Management</strong> System: Where drainage is<br />
required, the suggested drain spacing is 16 to<br />
18 m at a 1.2 m depth.<br />
Unsuited Crops: Asparagus <strong>and</strong> root crop<br />
vegetables on any slopes due to the shallowness<br />
<strong>and</strong> stoniness <strong>of</strong> the surface soil. All crops are<br />
unsuited where slopes are greater than 25%,<br />
except grassl<strong>and</strong>s.<br />
Reasons: <strong>Soil</strong> erosion susceptibility <strong>of</strong> these slopes is<br />
extreme. Machinery has great difficulty<br />
negotiating these slopes <strong>and</strong> excess stoniness<br />
limits cultivation.<br />
16 <strong>Soil</strong> <strong>Management</strong> <strong>H<strong>and</strong>book</strong> – Okanagan-Similkameen Valleys