Soils of the - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

LAXTON SOILS (LX)
Location and Extent : Laxton soils occur in scattered areas on the uplands, mainly in the vicinity o f
Abbotsford, near Mission and along the margins of Matsqui Valley . There are about 150 ha of pure map units an d
570 ha of soil complexes dominated by Laxton soils . The complexes are usually with Abbotsford, Marble Hil l
and Ryder soils .
Topography and Elevation : The topography of Laxton soils varies from gently sloping and undulating t o
steeply sloping and strongly rolling . Most slopes are between 5 and 25 percent but along gullies and .
escarpments they rise to over 60 percent . Elevations range between 25 and 100 m above sea level .
Parent Material and Texture : Laxton soils have developed from deep, eolian deposits that are medium -
textured near the surface and coarse-textured in the subsoil . They usually are duned although relatively leve l
areas also occur and, in these areas, some glaciofluvial sands may be included . Surface textures vary from fin e
sandy loam to silt loam while subsurface and subsoil textures consist of sand, fine sand or loamy sand .
Soil Moisture Characteristics : Laxton soils are well to rapidly drained . They are rapidly pervious and have
low to medium water holding capacity .
General Soil Description : In uncleared areas Laxton soils have up to 5 cm of raw to well-decompose d
leaves, needles and other organic forest litter on the mineral soil surface . This is underlain by about 20 cm o f
reddish-brown to yellowish-brown, very friable, silty or very fine sandy material . Occasionally, a thin, discontinuous,
gray, leached layer is present at the top of this zone . The brownish soil, in turn, is underlain by a
transition zone of loose, yellowish-brown fine sand that is very friable and about 50 cm thick . Below about 80 cm ,
light brownish yellow or light olive brown, loose, fine to medium sand occurs, sometimes containing below 10 0
cm, thin (less than 2 cm) dark brown lamellae slightly enriched with clay . Soil reactions vary from medium t o
strongly acid throughout . Soil classification is mostly Orthic Humo-Ferric Podzolalthough a few small areas of
Orthic or Eluviated Dystric Brunisol also occur .
Commonly Associated Soils : Abbotsford, Marble Hill, Ryder and Lonzo Creek soils usually occur closel y
associated with Laxton soils . All have silty eolian surfaces similar to Laxton soils but vary in subsoil texture an d
deposits . In Abbotsford soils, gravel or sandy gravel occurs at depths between 20 and 50 cm of the surface . I n
Marble Hill soils, the gravels occur at depths greater than 50 cm . Ryder and Lonzo Creek soils have compact ,
loamy glacial till at depths of, respectively, greater than 50 cm and between 20 and 50 cm of the soil surface .
Vegetation : Most areas of Laxton soils are cleared and are either cultivated or used for urban sites . Scattered ,
uncleared areas support a mixed second-growth forest of coast Douglas-fir, red alder, vine and bigleaf mapl e
and birch, understoried by a variety of shrubs and herbs, including Oregon grape, huckleberry and bracken .
Rooting depth is unrestricted to at least 100 cm .
General Land Use Comments : (1) Low water holding capacity and, in some locations, adverse topogra -
phy restrict Laxton soils for agricultural uses . However, with adequate irrigation and fertilization as required ,
most crops can be satisfactorily produced . (2) Except for steeply sloping areas, Laxton soils are well suited fo r
most urban and related uses . They are well drained, easy to excavate, and are well suited for septic tank effluen t
disposal . They also provide sources for sand . (3) Forest growth is moderate due to droughty conditions durin g
the latter part of the growing season . Potential annual wood production by coast Douglas-fir is estimated a t
about 6 to 7.5 m 3/ha .
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