Determining Avocado Grove Soil Type
Irrigation and salinity management are a significant part of managing California avocado groves and play a role in higher avocado yields generated at lower cost.
Different avocado grove soil types have very different physical and chemical properties that need to be understood for best management. Some avocado groves will have several soil types, each with their own characteristics, that need to managed differently from one another.
Because all U.S. soils have been intensively mapped, there is a simple process for identifying avocado grove soil types. By following the steps below, and completing the USDA’s Web Soil Survey, you can identify the soil types in your grove.
- Go to the Web Soil Survey at http://websoilsurvey.nrcs.usda.gov/app/HomePage.htm
- Click the large green button and then on the next page click on the word "Address" at the left
- Enter the address of your grove
- Click the view button and a satellite image of your grove will appear
- Next, define the outline of your grove using the "AOI" tool
- Once this is defined, click on the "Soil Map" tab and the different soil types in the avocado groves will be drawn on the map
- A detailed description of the soil will then be found on the left
