South Coast - Soils
Tools, factsheets and resources for the South Coast agricultural region on the following soil and nutrient topics:
Soil and Nutrient Management Resources
Factsheets and handbooks for soil management and nutrient amendment practices. Note: some information in these documents may not be applicable to all areas. Always refer to your own soil test results and local weather conditions.
Top Requested Documents for South Coast
- Soil Management Handbook for the Lower Fraser Valley [pdf]
- Nutrient Management Reference Guide
- Frequently Asked Questions for South Coast Manure Spreading [pdf]
- Manure Spreading Advisories
- Dust and Odour Considerations for the Fraser Valley [pdf]
- Guidelines for Soil or Woodwaste Fill [pdf]
Soil and Nutrient Management
Learn more about soil and nutrient Management:
- Environmental Farm Management Planning Reference Guide (PDF) See chapter 6 for nutrients/soil amendments and chapter 8 for soil management.
- Soil management publications
- Nutrient management / soil amendment publications
Soil Testing Resources
Guides, contacts and tools for conducting soil tests and determining fertilizer recommendations. More information is available at Nutrient Management. To contact a soil scientist see “Useful Contacts” on the Nutrient Management page.
- Learn how to take a soil sample (PDF)
- Find a laboratory to analyze soil samples (PDF)
- Understanding Different Soil Test Methods (PDF)
For South Coast Region, , convert soil test P and K values to “Kelowna method” equivalent values (conversions are based on Lower Mainland and Okanagan samples), use the spreadsheet below for conversion.
Find interpretations and fertilizer recommendations for soil test P and K values of the “Kelowna method”.
- Interpretations for Soil Test Phosphorus and Potassium: Guidelines for Southern British Columbia (PDF)
For all nutrients other than P and K, the most recent and comprehensive interpretations are in the following publication:
Agricultural Capability Maps and Soil Surveys
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Land Capability Map Database Click on “TEI Scanned Map Index” for the excel spreadsheet, sort by Capability-Agriculture under the Project Name column and scroll across to Column T for links to individual maps.
- Land Capability Classification Manual (PDF). Handbook for assessing and classifying agricultural soil capability.
Agriculture Canada Soil Surveys
For questions about these maps and data sets, contact Agriculture Canada.
- Agassiz area
- Chilliwack area
- Langley–Vancouver area
- Matsqui Municipality–Sumas Mountain
- Pemberton Valley
- More South Coast and B.C. soil maps and surveys
Agricultural Land Commission Maps
For questions about these maps or the Agricultural Land Reserve, contact the Agricultural Land Commission.
Fraser Valley Soil Nutrient Study
In 2012, as a follow-up to the 2005 Fraser Valley Soil Nutrient Study [pdf], soil analysis was conducted on 177 agricultural fields in West Delta, Mt. Lehman/Bradner, South Abbotsford, Sumas Prairie and East Chilliwack. The full report is pending, but preliminary results are available below.
