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

Land Use/Management CommentsChurchville soils require tile drainage in orderto reach theirpotential capability for common fieldcrop production . They are rated Class 3W. If theyare tile drained, Churchville soils are suitable forgrowing a fairly wide range of special crops .Suitability ratings for selected special crops aregiven in Tables 6, 7, and 8.Colwood Soils (CWTLandform and TopographyColwood soils have developed on blankets ofmedium textured lacustrine materials . They occurmainly on lower slopes and in depressions inlandscapes which have nearly level topography orvery gently undulating topography. Slopes areless than 2%.Soil Moisture CharacteristicsColwood soils are poorly drained . They areusually moderately permeable, but thepermeability decreases in horizons that are clayeyor compacted. Because of high water table levels,they tend to remain saturated for prolongedperiods of time. The water holding capacities ofColwood soils are high if permeability is notrestricted. Surface runoff is slow.General Soil CharacteristicsThe Ap, Bg, and Ckg horizons which occurusually have silt loam, loam, or very fine sandyloam textures . The Ckg horizons are calcareous.Gray gley colours are dominant within theprofile, and prominent yellowish brown to strongbrown mottles are also present. Soil reactionranges from slightly acid to neutral in the Aphorizons, to mildly alkaline in the Ckg horizons .Soil classification is typically Orthic HumicGleysol .Soil VariabilityColwood soils frequently contain layers of fineor very fine textured materials . The layers arevariable in thickness and usually have silty clayloam or silty clay textures. Occasionally, they alsocontain layers of coarse textured materials whichusually have fine sandy loam textures .Colwood coarse phase (CW.C) soils weremapped where 15 to 40 cm of coarse texturedmaterials were present at the surface. Colwoodpeaty phase (CW.P) soils were mapped where 15to 40 cm of organic materials were present at thesurface . Most often Colwood (CW) soils weremapped in combination with Tuscola (TU) soils .Land Use/Management CommentsColwood soils require tile drainage in order toreach their potential capability for common fieldcrop production. Colwood and Colwood coarsephase soils are rated Class 2W, -and Colwoodpeaty phase soils are rated Class 4W. If they aretile drained, Colwood and Colwood .coarse phasesoils are suitable for growing a wide range ofspecial crops. Colwood peaty phase soils aresuitable for most vegetable crops if they are tiledrained, but they have limited suitability for mostspecial field crops as well as fruit and nut crops .Suitability ratings for selected . special crops aregiven in Tables 6, 7, and 8.Colwood soils are susceptible to compactionand care should be taken not to use heavymachinery when they are too wet . Althoughconventional tillage practices may be best toimprove soil structure and enhance drainage,Colwood soils are suitable for a number ofconservation tillage practices.Ekfrid Soils (EK)Landform and TopographyEkfrid soils have developed on blankets of fineto very fine textured lacustrine materials. Theyusually occur on mid to crest slope positions inlandscapes which have nearly level or very gentlyundulating topography . Occasionally the surfaceslopes are steeper and the topography is gentlyundulating . Slopes range from 1 to 9%, withslopes of 1 to 5% most common.Soil Moisture CharacteristicsEkfrid soils areimperfectly drained and slowlypermeable . They have high seasonal water tablelevels, and saturated conditions tend to occur inthe upper profile for prolonged periods of time.Ekfrid soils have medium to high water holdingcapacities, but can be draughty during dry periodsbecause of water retention by the clayey soilmaterials . Surface runoff is moderate to rapid,depending on the steepness of the surface slope.Soil cracks which may develop during the summerwill increase permeability and reduce surfacerunoff.General Soil CharacteristicsEkfrid soil materials usually contain at least40% clay . They also contain one or more layerswithin the profile which contain more than 60%