San Diego Soil Types

San Diego soil is diverse, but often dry or rocky.

San Diego County's soil is diverse. It is also often inhospitable to large-scale farming. A comprehensive list of San Diego soils can be overwhelming, but knowing types of soil, how they are categorized and where they lie can offer a good start to efficient land use.

Geography

San Diego is made up of coastal plains, foothills, mountains and desert. The coastal plains contain the most fertile soil, but each landscape offers soils suitable to growing a variety of crops.

Range

San Diego County covers the most southwesterly region of the United States, stretching 70 miles east to west and 60 miles north to south, where it meets the Mexico border. It covers more than 2 million acres and its elevation rises from sea level to 6,533 feet.

Soil Series

According to the San Diego soil survey, soil types that are similar but vary slightly in position, consistency and purity are categorized as series. Series are often named after the town or landmark where the soil was first mapped, such as Escondido and Fallbrook soils.

Soil Complex

San Diego County also contains soil complexes, which consist of two or more dominant and unique soil types. These are labeled in the San Diego soil survey by hyphens, as in the Fallbrook-Vista sandy loams.

Unusable

Many soil types in San Diego are so rocky, shallow or eroded that they are classified simply by location name. Riverwash is one of these classifications found in San Diego.

References

• San Diego Soil Survey
• Soil Data Mart
• RCD San Diego

Resources

• Download the San Diego Soil Survey