I found a listing of State Soils, most have been designated by state legislatures as such......who knew? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_U.S._state_soils I knew that I live on what is called the Blackland Prairie but I didn't know that our typical black clay has been named Houston Black and is the Texas state soil.
Ours is Miami soil (fine-loamy, mixed, active, mesic Oxyaquic Hapludalfs). I have no idea what that means I know the soil at my house is straight up clay. Horrible stuff. My friend Karl, who lives an hour south, has nice soil, easy to dig.
Houston Black makes me think of a nice peaty soil not the black clay you have Toni. I never knew that each state had such a thing. Could come in handy if you wanted a particular type I suppose.
We are on Blackland Prairie also, and I love the stuff! It sticks to you when wet, but grows veggies and flowers very well. I must admit that when we were looking for a place to buy, I carried a trowel with me. If the soil didn't meet my standards, who cared about the house! Houses can be renovated; soil, only over a long time.
The land our neighborhood was built on used to be a large cotton field and cotton does very well in the Houston Black Soil, it is still very fertile too.
Is the state soil just suppose to be a description of the soil? It seems you can't exactly give it a specific name. Very interesting.
I would guess that the state legislators can name the soil just about any name they choose. The choice is most likely the soil that is the most common in that state.
We have Hoosier clay. Good for keeping things in place and making it harder to pull the weeds. Every time i plant something new i add composted cow manure and peat.
I have 3Bear soil. "The Threebear series consists of moderately well drained soils formed in silty sediments with a thick mantle of volcanic ash. It's mainly good for growing evergreen trees." Commercially, it also grows great barley, potatoes and onions.
Nope - never once crossed my mind before that each State or any State would have an official soil.....go figure huh!?!?!
