Ultisols !!! Red clay soils

Ultisols!!!Red clay soils

• Very Similar to Alfisols• However, they are highly weathered• Low nutrient value• Have undergone a great deal of leaching that

results in a clay-enriched subsoil• Low quantities of plant available Ca, Mg, and K

• The soil is usually coarse and easy to till• Found in the southeast US• Typically Redder that Alfisols• Orchric and Argillic diagnostic features• Can be very productive for agriculture if

fertilizers and lime are implemented: but very poor for sustainable farming without

• Ultisols form due to a very intense weathering process

• The subsoil is dominated by low activity minerals such as quartz and iron oxides (redder than alfisols)

• Typically acid soils and most nutrients are concentrated in the upper few inches

• Make up about 8% of the ice-free land surface

• Typical horizon: A, E, Bt, BC, C