Laserfiche WebLink
<br />The Minnequa soil is moderatly deep and well drianed. If formed in residuum derived <br />dominatly from limestone and shale. Slope is 2 to ] 5 percent. Typically, the swface layer is <br />light brownish gray silt loam about 2 inches thick. Ths subsoil is substratum are silt clay loam <br />abut 26 inches thick over slightly hazd, fractwed limestone at a depth of 28 inches. The soil is <br />moderatley alkaline. <br />Permeabilty of this Minnequa soil is moderate. Availabe water capacity is low. Efective <br />rooting depth is 20 to40 inches. Runoff is slow to medium, and the hazard of water eroision is <br />slight to moderate. <br />Most ares of this unit are used for rangeland. A few areas are used for irrigated croplan. <br />Cropand is limited mainly to small areas of Minnequa soil. Hay and pastwe are the main <br />irrigated crops. Small grians are also grown and small areas aze also used as vineyards and apple <br />orchazds. <br />The potential plan community on the Penrose soil is mainly sideoats grams, blue grams, <br />Scribner needlegrass, Indian ricegrass, and scattered juniper. The aver annual production of air- <br />dry vegetation is about 600 pounds per azcre. IF the condition of the range deteriorates, blue <br />grams, sand dropseed, red threeawn, and undesirable forbs invade or increase. Range seeding is <br />a suitable practice if the range vegetation is in poor condition. Some areas of Penrose soil neer <br />Rock outcrop have many channery fragments on the surface and can be difficulat to reseed <br />mechanically. <br />The potential plant comminity on the Minnequa soil is manly blue grams, western <br />wheatgrass, and winterfat. The average annual proudcution of air-dry vegetation is about 800 <br />pounds per acre. If the condition of the range deteriorates, blue grams, pricklypeaz, broom <br />_ snakeweed, and rod threeawn increase. <br />Pewose soil is generally unsuitable for production of most crops because of shallow <br />depths of bedrock. The Minnequa soil is limited by low availabel water capacity and moderate <br />depths to bedrock. A few areas where thickness of the soil is greater than about 3 feet are <br />suitable for production of most crops. The Minnequa soil is suitable for production of grapes and <br />is used successfully to procude apples. Areas of Penrose soil can also be used for grape <br />production. <br />Irrigation water can be aplied by furrow, corrugations, drip system, sprinklers, or flooding <br />from contouu ditches. Irrigation water needs to be applied at a rate that inswes optimum <br />production without increaseing deep percolation, runoff, and erosion. All adapted pasture plants <br />can be grown, but bunch-type species planted alone generally aze not suitab]e because of the <br />hazard of erosion. Seedbed preperation should be on the contour or across the slop where <br />practical. Proper grazing practices, week control, and fertilizer are needed to insure maximum <br />quality of forage. <br />The suitability of this until for homesite development depends on the depth to bedrock <br />and steepness of slope at a specific site. The shallow Penrose soils often occur under scattered <br />pinyon and juniper on breaks and ridges. The Penrose soils are poorly suited for use a homesites <br />with basements and for use as conventional septic tank absorption fields because of the shallow <br />depth to bedrock. In many areas the upper part of the bedrock can be excavated with a light <br />backhoe. In these areas the Penrose soil is suitable for homes without basements. Depth to <br />bedrock is a moderately limiting featwe for use of areas of Minnequa soil for homesites with <br />basements. <br />