The Soils of Brant County - Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada

Tuscola Soils (TUC)General Soil Description Tuscola soils have developedon glaciolacustrine sediments of silt loam or very fine sandyloam textures. They are imperfectly drained .Surface horizons of Tuscola soils consist of20 to 25 cm ofsilt loam or very fine sandy loam of moderate organic mattercontent . The underlying horizons have distinct or prominentmottles which are yellow to brownish-yellow in colour . The texturesof the subsoil horizons ranges from silt loam inthe upperportion of the B horizons to clay loam in the Bt, and very finesandy loam in the Ckg horizons . Depth to the calcareous Chorizons are variable due to the wavy and tongueing nature ofthe overlying Btg horizons, ranging from about 40 to 100 cm.Soil reaction of Tuscola soils ranges from neutral in the surfacehorizons to mildly alkaline in the subsoil . Soil classification isusually Gleyed Brunisolic Gray Brown Luvisol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Tuscola soils are imperfectlydrained . The surface horizons are moderately permeable,but subsurface horizons may be slowly permeable as aresult of their increase in clay content, or because of compactionby use ofheavy machinery. Tuscola soils may have temporaryhigh water tables which normally recede early in thegrowing season, and have minimum interference with plantgrowth . Tuscola soils have high water-holding capacities, andmoderate to high surface runoff, depending on slope.Commonly Associated Soils Brant (BRT) and Colwood(CWO) soils are the most common associates of Tuscola soilsoccurring as subdominant components in .map units TUC 3and TUC 4 . They have similar textures as Tuscola soils, but differin being well and imperfectly drained, respectively. Fox(FOX) soils also may occur in association with Tuscola soils inmap unitTUC 9, where sandy-textured, well to rapidly draineduplands occur inlandscapes dominated by Tuscola soils.Land Use and Management Tuscola soils are very goodagricultural soils for most field and horticultural crops . Tiledrainage is installed in some Tuscola soils under intensive useto remove wet spots and improve the timeliness of field operations. Corn, soybeans, tomatoes, cucumbers and peppers arethe most common cropsgrown on Tuscola soils .Vanessa Soils (VSS)General Soil Description Vanessa soils have developedon loamy sand and sandy loam textures overlying loamy glacialtill . They are poorly drained .Surface horizons of Vanessa soils consist of about 20 to 30cm offine sandyloam texture, with a relatively high content oforganic matter. The upper subsoil horizons in the sandy material are loamy finesand to medium sandy loamin texture. Theyare strongly gleyed and mottled . The underlying glacial till subsoilsare encountered at depths of50to 80 cm . They are usuallyloam in texture and have low gravel contents . The C-horizonsusually begin near the sand-glacial till contact and are stronglycalcareous . They are loam to gravelly loam in texture . Soil reactionof Vanessa soils ranges from slightly acidic in the sandysurficial material to mildly alkaline in the subsoil . Soil classificationis usually Orthic Humic Gleysol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Vanessa soils are poorlydrained . The surface horizons have high permeability ; however,the permeability of subsoil horizons in the glacial tillmaterial is moderate. Groundwater levels are at or nearthe surfacefor much of the year, receding significantly only duringthe dry summer period . Vanessa soils have low water-holdingcapacities and low runoff .Commonly Associated Soils Granby (GNY) soils are themost common associates of Vanessa soils as the subdominantcomponent in map unit VSS 7 . Granby soils are poorly drainedlike Vanessa soils, but occur where the sandy textures exceed 1metre in depth .Land Use and Management Vanessa soils require tiledrainage before they can be utilized for agricultural crops .Drained Vanessa soils are used for corn, spring grain and occasionallyvegetable crops .Walsingham Soils (WAM)General Soil Description Walsingham soils have developedon glaciolacustrine sediments of loamy sand and sandtextures . They are imperfectly drained .Surface horizons of Walsingham soils range from 15 to 20cm in depth and are loamy sand or sandy loam in texture. Theyhave moderate organic matter contents ranging from 4 to 6% .The subsoil horizons are uniform fine sand in texture, withprominent reddish-brown mottles present in the lower subsoilhorizons . The Ck horizons are moderately calcareous and generallyoccur between 60 and 90 cm depth . Soil reaction ofWalsingham soils ranges from medium acidic in the surfacehorizons to mildly alkaline in the subsoil . Soil classification isGleyed Orthic Melanic Brunisol .Soil Moisture Characteristics Walsingham soils areimperfectly drained . They are rapidly permeable, but highregional groundwater tables maintain water table levels nearthe surface during the winter and spring . Dry summer conditionscause the water table to drop quite drastically, so thatdroughty conditions may prevail . Walsingham soils have lowwater-holding capacities and surface runoff is slow .Commonly Associated Soils Plainfield (PFD) andWaterin (WRN) soils are commonly associated withWalsingham soils as subdominant components in map unitsWAM 2 and WAM 3 . They have similar parent material, butare rapidly drained and poorly drained, respectively.Land Use and Management Walsingham soils are usedfor a wide range of crops in the County. They are used extensivelyfor flue-cured tobacco and less commonly for specialtycrops such as potatoes, peppers and ginseng . These cropsrequire supplemental irrigation or other specialized managementpractices . Common field crops such as winter wheat andfall rye produce well on Walsingham soils, whereas crops suchas grain corn often suffer from summer droughtiness .Waterin Soils (WRN)General Soil Description Waterin soils have developedon glaciolacustrine sediments ofloamy sand and sand textures .They are poorly drained .Surface horizons of Waterin soils consist of 20 to 30 cm ofsandy loam texture . The organic matter contents of these horizonsare generally high, ranging from 4 to 8% . Peaty phaseWaterin soils are not uncommon, with very high organic matterlevels in the surface layer. Subsoil horizons are uniformlyfine sand in texture with prominent dark reddish-brown mottlesincreasing in abundance with depth . The calcareous Ckghorizons occur at varying depths, ranging from 70 to morethan 100 cm . They are usually mildly calcareous . Soil reactionof Waterin soils ranges from neutral in the surface horizons tomildly alkaline in the subsoil . Soil classification is OrthicHumic Gleysol .