Eddy gravelly clay loam soil type

Schedules & Zones Set Up & Edit Zones
1

I initially set the soil types for all my zones to “Loam”. After poking around here I found the soil survey website and it says I have “Eddy gravelly clay loam”. After reading the complete report below, I must say it seems accurate from when we built the house and digging we have done. Seems to be pretty gravelly and not long until you hit rock (trees we planted all had to have drains installed as they were sitting in rock holes. My particular yard has slopes way more than 3% as we are on a hill, but slope setting of course can account for that. I have two questions:

  1. What setting on the Rachio 3 would I use for this type of soil?
  2. We paid to have our beds loaded with organic matter when we built. Would this change the soil type for those zones?

Full soil report for my area below:

Collin County, Texas

EdB—Eddy gravelly clay loam, 1 to 3 percent slopes

Map Unit Setting

  • National map unit symbol: d6v0
  • Elevation: 400 to 1,000 feet
  • Mean annual precipitation: 31 to 39 inches
  • Mean annual air temperature: 64 to 70 degrees F
  • Frost-free period: 230 to 250 days
  • Farmland classification: Not prime farmland

Map Unit Composition

  • Eddy and similar soils: 100 percent

  • Estimates are based on observations, descriptions, and transects of the mapunit.

Description of Eddy

Setting
  • Landform: Ridges
  • Landform position (two-dimensional): Shoulder, summit
  • Landform position (three-dimensional): Interfluve
  • Down-slope shape: Convex
  • Across-slope shape: Convex
  • Parent material: Residuum weathered from austin chalk
Typical profile
  • H1 - 0 to 5 inches: gravelly clay loam
  • H2 - 5 to 10 inches: very gravelly clay loam
  • H3 - 10 to 60 inches: bedrock
Properties and qualities
  • Slope: 1 to 3 percent
  • Depth to restrictive feature: 3 to 15 inches to paralithic bedrock
  • Drainage class: Well drained
  • Runoff class: Low
  • Capacity of the most limiting layer to transmit water (Ksat): Moderately low to high (0.06 to 1.98 in/hr)
  • Depth to water table: More than 80 inches
  • Frequency of flooding: None
  • Frequency of ponding: None
  • Calcium carbonate, maximum content: 80 percent
  • Available water supply, 0 to 60 inches: Very low (about 0.9 inches)
Interpretive groups
  • Land capability classification (irrigated): None specified
  • Land capability classification (nonirrigated): 4s
  • Hydrologic Soil Group: D
  • Ecological site: R086AY001TX - Northern Chalky Ridge
  • Hydric soil rating: No
2

Holy cow, bedrock at 10"?!

Boy, I’m not sure how to read this one. Since all your trees and probably many of your bushes are going to sit on bedrock, I have no idea how that changes the water holding capacity of the “soil”, plus you’ve added artificial drainage for the trees. As for the 10" of soil you do have, how “gravely” is it? I would tend to say try clay loam, but…man, this is a tough one.

3

I remember when we were building the entire lot was pretty gravelly and white. My uncle called it “caliche” and commented that I should never have foundation issues. I feel sure the original landscaper brought in dirt for the sod as there seems to be an inch or so of black dirt before you hit the white stuff. The white stuff is more densely packed than ‘gravelly’ I would say.

My front yard has a pretty good slope to the street and runoff has always been a problem. I have always suspected the water goes down to the caliche/rock pretty quickly and then runs off. I have the Rachio set on the most extreme slope setting for these zones.

So yes, my yard is pretty tough. Even more so when trying to tell the Rachio about it… :slight_smile:

4

I set left my bed zones set to “Loam” and changed the lawn zones to “Clay Loam”. Immediately the moisture level in some zones when up, and some went down. I don’t pretend to understand the magical algorithm being used, but I’ll give it a few weeks and see what happens.

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