HomeMy WebLinkAbout951199.tiff SOIL SURVEY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO, SOUTHERN PART
United Slates Department of Agriculture. Soil Conservation Service.
in cooperation with the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station
32—Kim loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes. This is a deep,
well drained soil on smooth plains and alluvial fans at possible following planting.Trees that are best suited and
elevations of 4,900 to 5,250 feet. It formed in mixed eolian have good survival are Rocky Mountain juniper, eastern
deposit and parent sediment from a wide variety of redcedar, ponderosa pine, Siberian elm, Russian-olive, and
bedrock. Included in mapping are small areas of soils that hackberry. The shrubs best suited are skunkbush sumac,
have loamy sand underlying material. lilac, Siberian peashrub, and American plum.
Typically the surface layer is brown and pale brown Wildlife is an important secondary use of this soil. The
loam about 12 inches thick. The upper 28 inches of the un- cropland areas provide favorable habitat for ring-necked
derlying material is pale brown loam. The lower part to a pheasant and mourning dove. Many nongame species can
depth of 60 inches is pale brown fine sandy loam. be attracted by establishing areas for nesting and escape
Permeability is moderate. Available water capacity is cover. For pheasants, undisturbed nesting cover is essen-
high. The effective rooting depth is 60 inches or more. tial and should be included in plans for habitat develop-
Surface runoff is medium, and the erosion hazard is low. ment, especially in areas of intensive agriculture. Range-
In irrigated areas this soil is suited to all crops com- land wildlife, for example, the pronghorn antelope, can be
monly grown in the area, including corn, sugar beets, attracted by developing livestock watering facilities,
beans, alfalfa, small grain, potatoes, and onions. An exam- managing livestock grazing,and reseeding where needed.
ple of a suitable cropping system is 3 to 4 years of alfalfa This soil has good potential for urban and recreational
followed by corn, corn for silage, sugar beets, small grain, development. Increased population growth in the survey
or beans. Land leveling, ditch lining (fig. 6), and installing area has resulted in increased homesite construction. The
pipelines may be needed for proper water applications. chief limiting soil feature for urban development and road
All methods of irrigation are suitable, but furrow ir- construction is the limited capacity of this soil to support
rigation is the most common. Barnyard manure and com- a load. Septic tank absorption fields function properly, but
mercial fertilizer are needed for top yields. community sewage systems should be provided if the
In nonirrigated areas this soil is suited to winter wheat, population density increases. Because of the permeability
barley, and sorghum. Most of the acreage is planted to of the substratum, sewage lagoons must be sealed.
winter wheat and is summer fallowed in alternate years Lawns, shrubs, and trees grow well. Capability subclass
Ile irrigated, IVe nonirrigated; Loamy Plains range site.
to allow moisture accumulation. Generally precipitation is
too low for beneficial use of fertilizer.
Stubble mulch farming, striperopping, and minimum til-
lage are needed to control soil blowing and water erosion.
Terracing also may be needed to control water erosion.
The potential native vegetation is dominated by blue
grama. Several mid grasses, such as western wheatgrass
and needleandthread, are also present. Potential produc-
tion ranges from 1,600 pounds per acre in favorable years
to 1,000 pounds in unfavorable years. As range condition
deteriorates, the mid grasses decrease; blue grama, buf-
falograss, snakeweed, yucca, and fringed sage increase;.
and forage production drops. Undesirable weeds and an-
nuals invade the site as range condition becomes poorer.
Management of vegetation on this soil should be based
on taking half and leaving half of the total annual produc- 1 - - _
tion. Seeding is desirable if the range is in poor condition. ..
Sideoats grama, little bluestem, western wheatgrass, blue . -
grama, pubescent wheatgrass, and crested wheatgrass are
suitable for seeding. The grass selected should meet the
seasonal requirements of livestock. It can be seeded into
a clean, firm sorghum stubble, or it can be drilled into a - -
firm prepared seedbed. Seeding early in spring has
proven most successful. -
Windbreaks-and environmental plantings of trees and
shrubs commonly grown in the area are generally well -
suited to this sail Cultivation to control competing
vegetation should be continued for as many years as
951199
SOIL SURVEY OF WELD COUNTY, COLORADO, SOUTHERN PART
United States Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Service.
in cooperation with the Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station
U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
SOIL. CONSERVATION SERVICE
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