North Texas Soils

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North Texas Soils EarthKind Soil Management
John Sloan Soil Scientist Texas AM University
- Dallas
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GENERAL SOIL MAP OF TEXAS
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Counties of North Texas
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General Soil Map of Collin County, Texas
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Extent of dominant soil types in Collin County
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Houston Black Austin Association Soils and
underlying material
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General Soil Map of Fannin Co., Texas
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SOIL LEGEND FANNIN COUNTY, TEXAS
CLAYEY AND LOAMY, SLIGHTLY ACID TO MODERATELY
ALKALINE SOILS ON UPLANDS
LOAMY AND CLAYEY, MODERATELY ACID TO NEUTRAL
SOILS ON UPLANDS
Normangee-Wilson-Bonham
Fairlie-Dalco
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Crockett
Houston Black-Leson
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10
Ellis-Crocket
Whitewright-Howe
3
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Crosstell-Birome
Ferris
4
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LOAMY, VERY STONGLY ACID TO NEUTRAL SOILS ON
TERRACES
CLAYEY AND LOAMY, MODERATELY ALAKALINE SOILS ON
FLOOD PLAINS
Tinn
Whakan-Porum-Freestone
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Frioton
Karma-Derly
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14
Ivanhoe
Seven-Belk-Redlake
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Wilson-Bastrop
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Soil management challenges can be

• Naturally occuring a result of natural soil
  formation.
• Man-made a result of poor soil management or
  unplanned events

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Multiple processes occur simultaneously in soils
Physical
Chemical
Biological
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What are some management challenges of North
Texas soils?

• Most Common
• Clay textured soils physical (natural)
• Calcareous soils chemical (natural)
• Excessive nutrients chemical (primarily
  man-made)
• Others
• Acidic soils chemical (natural or man-made)
• Saline/Alkaline Soils chemical?physical
  (natural or man-made)
• Sandy soils physical (natural)

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What soil properties are difficult to manage or
to modify?

• Soil texture
• Mineral composition / Chemistry
• Calcareous soils

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Relative Sizes of Soil Particles
Course Sand
Clay
Silt
Very Fine Sand
Medium Sand
Fine Sand
1 mm
0 mm
2 mm
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Texture

• Major influence on water holding capacity
• Sand low water holding capacity
• Clay high water holding capacity
• Silt high available water capacity

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Field Capacity
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Available water
Wilting Point
Percent Soil Water
10
Unavailable water
0
Sand
Sandy Loam
Loam
Silt Loam
Clay Loam
Clay
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Normal pH range in soils
Calcareous
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Soil pH

• A master variable because it affects a wide range
  of soil properties, including
• Chemical
• Biological
• Physical (indirectly)

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Alkaline SoilspH gt 7

• Calcareous soils
• High in calcium freqently contain calcite
• pH is controlled by calcium carbonate chemistry
• pH range of 7 to 8.4
• Saline and sodic soils
• High in sodium
• pH is controlled by sodium carbonate chemistry
• pH range of 8.4 to 10

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Houston Black Official State Soil of Texas Major
soil in the Blackland Prairie region of Texas.
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Nutrient Deficiencies in Alkaline Soils

• Micronutrient metals
• Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn
• Fe3 OH- ? Fe(OH)2 ? Fe(OH)2 ? Fe(OH)3

Soluble Hydroxy metal cations
Soluble cation
Insoluble hydroxide
Acid
Alkaline
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Nutrient Deficiencies in Alkaline Soils

• Boron and molybdenum

2H2O

Soluble Boron (plant available)
Adsorbed Boron (not available)
Surface Hydroxyls
Acid
Alkaline
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Nutrient Deficiencies in Alkaline Soils

• Phosphorus
• Forms insoluble calcium and magnesium phosphate
  minerals at high pH

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Lowering Soil pH

• Alum (Aluminum sulfate)
• Al hydrolysis will produce H
• Ferrous sulfate (FeIISO4)
• Fe2 2H2O ? Fe(OH)2 2H
• Elemental Sulfur, S0
• (Most effective in non-calcareous soil)
• 2S0 3O2 2H2O ? 2H2SO4

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Lowering pH of a calcareous soil

• Typical Houston Black soil contains about 14
  calcite and has a CCE of about 15
• 100 ft2 x 6 in 4500 lbs soil 675 lb CaCO3
• 32 lbs sulfur will neutralize 100 lbs CaCO3
• 216 lbs elemental sulfur to neutralize CaCO3 in
  top 6 inches of 100 ft2 calcareous soil (47
  tons/acre).

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Lowering Soil pH

• Organic matter
• Decomposing organic matter produces acidity by
  releasing organic acids and H
• The organic matter should be low in Ca and other
  nonacidic cations (K, Na, Mg)
• Ex. Leaf mold from coniferous trees, Pine
  needles, tanbark, pine sawdust, peat moss

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EarthKind Urban Soil Test Results Spring 2003
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EarthKind Urban Soil Test Results Spring 2003
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What soil properties are we able to manage in
order to sustain and promote plant growth while
protecting the quality of our water and air?
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Soil Organic Matter Most soils contain 1-5
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Benefits of soil organic matter

• Food for beneficial soil organisms
• Supplies essential plant nutrients
• cement for soil aggregates creating good soil
  structure
• Improves water retention in soils
• Helps soil hold on to nutrients
• Reduced the greenhouse effect by sequestering
  carbon

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Living Organisms Microorganisms
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Soil structure

• Refers to the binding of soil particles into
  aggregates due to the presence of organic matter,
  clays, and oxides
• Good structure allows movement of water and air
  through the soil and into the rooting zone.

Range of soil structures
Single grained Aggregated
Massive (Sand)
(Silt loam) (brick)
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Sources of Cation Exchange Sites
Organic matter (pH dependent)
Clay minerals (permanent)
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What happens when we dont maintain soil organic
matter?
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Effect of land use on prairie soil organic carbon
storage (W. Amelung, et al, 2001)
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Residential Home Construction
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Poor soil preparation Poor turf quality
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Dairy manure compost
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Dairy Manure Composting Facility in Erath County,
Texas
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Dairy Manure CompostResearch/Demonstration Plots

• Objective To evaluate the effect of large
  single applications of DMC on the establishment
  and subsequent growth of typical urban landscape
  plants and to evaluate the effects on soil
  chemical and physical properties.

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Materials and Methods

• 0, 40, 80, 120 ton/acre dairy manure compost (0,
  ½, 1, and 2 inches)
• 20 x 20 ft plots size
• One-half ornamentals one-half turf grass
• Irrigation applications
• Ornamentals Years 2003, 2004, and 2005
• Turf grass Years 2003, 2004
• No supplemental fertilization

3 x 1 lb/1000ft2 N applied to turf in 2004
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Analysis of Dairy Manure Compost
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Composted dairy manure application rates and
corresponding N, P, and K rates.
g/m2 x 9 lb/Acre
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Annual / Perennial Ornamentals
New Gold Lantana
Pentas - Egyptian Star Flower
Echinacea - Purple Coneflower
Shasta Daisy
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Woody Ornamentals
Dwarf Yaupon Holly
Dwarf Burford Holly
Knockout Rose
Crape myrtle
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September 2003
40 ton/Acre
0 ton/Acre
120 ton/Acre
80 ton/Acre
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August 2004
- N
N
40 ton/Acre
0 ton/Acre
120 ton/Acre
80 ton/Acre
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September 2005
40 ton/Acre
0 ton/Acre
120 ton/Acre
80 ton/Acre
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Bermuda grass Dry Matter Yield
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Nutrient Content of Bermuda Grass
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Effect of Dairy Manure Compost on Infiltration
Rate (18 Months after application)
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Effect of Dairy Manure Compost on Soil Water
Content (Multiple Dates)
No irrigation was applied during the 2005
growing season.
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Effect of Dairy Manure Compost on plant
available soil P after 2 years
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Effect of Dairy Manure Compost on plant
available soil P after 3 years
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Yard Waste Compost Biosolids
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Cumulative 3-year Application Rate
Treatment Rate (Mg/ha) Control 0 YWC 109 YWC
327 Biosolids 86
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Effect of Plano Pure compost on soil compaction
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Effect of Plano Pure on soil fertility in the
upper 6 inches after three applications (Year 3)
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Effect of Plano Pure on soil fertility in the
upper 6 inches after three applications (Year 3)
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Organic Matter provides essential plant nutrients
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Inorganic Amendments for clay soils
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Effect of expanded shale and other amendments on
pansy root mass.
Sloan et al., 2002, HortTech
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Effect of expanded shale and other soil
amendments on Pansy foliage quality and number of
blooms per plant.
Sloan et al., 2002, HortTech
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Effect of expanded shale and other soil
amendments on Scaevola foliage quality and
blossom coverage.
Sloan et al., 2002, HortTech
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Effect of expanded shale and other soil
amendments on Scaevola survival.
Sloan et al., 2002, HortTech
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Saline soils

• Excessive amounts of sodium in the soil relative
  to calcium
• Soil structure breaks down because sodium causes
  the clay particles to disperse.

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Gypsum -- CaSO4

• CaSO4 dissolves and releases Ca
• Ca knock Na off of exchange sites
• Water flushes Na from the soil.

IMPORTANT Remediation of saline soils requires
sufficient irrigation to flush salts from the
rooting zone.
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EarthKind Soil Management

• Soil quality and productivity must be sustained
  for future generations
• Choose soil amendments that have been
  scientifically tested to be effective,
  beneficial, and environmentally benign.
• Avoid quick fixes or miracle products stick to
  the basic fundamentals of soil science.