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.

• Soil Test Phosphorus and Potassium Converter (XLS)

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:

• Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Methods and Interpretations of Their Results for British Columbia Agricultural Soils (PDF)

Agricultural Capability Maps and Soil Surveys

• 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.

• South Coast Panel Region (PDF)
• All Agriculture Land Reserve Maps

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.

• Preliminary 2012 Study Results [pdf]