Connecticut Soils

Windsor - Proposed State Soil

Windsor soils are well suited to the highly diversified agriculture of Connecticut; they are the preferred soils for the production of shade tobacco. Windsor soils are important for fruit and vegetable crops, silage corn, and ornamental shrubs and trees. They are also well suited for commercial and residential development, as well as a source for construction material. These soils cover 34,000 acres in Connecticut.

The Windsor series consists of very deep, excessively drained, rapidly permeable soils formed in glacial meltwater sediments. Some areas formed in sand dunes swept by winds from the Connecticut River Valley as ancient glacial Lake Hitchcock receded. The largest landscapes of Windsor soils are in the northern Connecticut River Valley, but the soils are mapped throughout the state. Slopes range from 0 to 15 percent. Windsor soils overlay sand and gravel groundwater aquifers. Droughtiness is the main limitation for crops, lawns, and landscaping. During dry months, irrigation is necessary for optimal production. There is a hazard of ground water pollution due to the rapid permeability of these soils.

Windsor Soil Profile: A five inch topsoil of dark yellowish brown loamy sand; the upper subsoil is dark brown loamy sand; the middle subsoil is strong brown loamy sand, and the lower subsoil is yellowish brown sand; and the substratum is pale brown and light yellowish brown sand.

Setting: The Windsor soils are mainly on nearly level to sloping outwash terraces, dunes, and deltas. They formed in glaciofluvial deposits. Average annual precipitation is 109 cm (43 in.). Average annual air temperature is 10^oC (50^oF).

Soil Family Classification: Mixed, mesic Typic Udipsamments

Windsor soils are in the Entisols soil order. Entisols are mostly recently developed soils which lack diagnostic horizons. The term "Mixed" refers to a soil comprised of a variety of minerals. "Mesic" refers to an average annual soil temperature of between 8^o and 15^oC (46o and 59oF).
Chemical and Physical Properties of the Windsor Soil (46^oF and 59^oF).

Chemical and Physical Properties of the Windsor Soil

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