Elevation ranges from 1,400 to 1,875 feet

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1 Elevation ranges from 1,400 to 1,875 feet

3 However unique in form and function, the soil is not an isolated body. It is, rather, a central link in the larger chain of interconnected domains and processes comprising the terrestrial environment. - Daniel Hillel Soil is the core and crux of terrestrial life -Daniel Hillel All that we did, all that we said or sang Must come from contact with the soil... -William Butler Yeats, We shall not cease from exploring And the end of all our exploring Will be to arrive where we started And know the place for the first time. -T.S. Eliot, , "Four Quartets" Soils of Flowers and Camp Meeting Ridge Ranches INTRODUCTION The soils of Camp Meeting Ridge (CMR) and Flowers Ranches are complicated and diverse. Understanding the chemistry, biology and physics of the soil leads to exemplary water, tillage and nutrient management. Numerous soil investigations have been conducted at Camp Meeting Ridge and Flowers Ranches, the estate vineyards of Flowers Vineyard and Winery. Flowers Ranch is entirely planted in Pinot Noir grape vines whereas CMR consists of blocks of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes. The two ranches are similar but with a discerning eye one can find many unique features at each location. Flowers Ranch is situated on a ridge named Smith Ridge and Camp Meeting Ridge is located on its namesake; both are a short distance from the rugged Pacific Ocean whose waves pound against the jagged cliffs. The San Andreas Rift is precariously close to the shore and is surely responsible for much of the geological movement in the region of both Flowers and Camp Meeting Ridge Ranches. The underlying material that serves as the parent material of the ranch soils was once ocean floor. Through cataclysmic events of fault movements that generated great heat and pressure, the marine sedimentary rock was metamorphosed and transformed into fault gouge material consisting of rocks like schist, greywacke, and greenstone. In some areas there are still sedimentary rocks like shale and sandstone, slowly weathering and giving rise to soil. Our vines grow on ridges comprised of exposed, steep slopes vulnerable to nature s elements. The ridge is the remnant of erosion; they are areas that remain after the effects of wind and water have etched depressions on either side of the summit. In many areas at both Flowers and CMR the vineyard drops off and is replaced by steep slopes that plummet to tributaries and drainages meandering through the wilderness down to the Pacific Ocean. Although both ranches are within a few miles of each other on the gorgeous Sonoma Coast they are distinctly different.

4 FLOWERS RANCH The unique characteristics of each ranch were considered diligently when the vineyards were created and over the years as the ranches have been managed for ultra premium wine grapes. The multitude of possible combinations of soil, slope and aspect at the ranches creates an abundance of circumstances that makes section within the ranches, as well as the ranches themselves, very dissimilar. Flowers Ranch consists of six soil types on two parcels. Beneath the surface there is a patchwork of soil colors, textures and structures as you cross the ranch. Another delineator within the ranch is planting phases of which there are two. There is an older section of the vineyard, termed Phase I as well as a younger section, called Phase II. Phase I, the 23 acres closest to the entrance of the ranch, predominately consists of Hugo soil. Hugo is deep, well drained soil formed in material weathered from sedimentary rocks of sandstone, schist, shale and conglomerate. The soil texture of this soil is gravelly sandy clay loam. These soils are friable and allow for vine roots to grow easily; they push their way through the soil to retrieve water and nutrients. The vines are planted in rows aligned to face northwest and southeast on either side of the ridge. Thus, the rising morning sun illuminates the vines on the southeast facing slope through midday. In the afternoon the northwest facing vines are basked in afternoon sun allowing the other side reprieve from the sun s radiation. Phase II is 22 acres of Flowers Ranch and consists of a ridge that bends in the shape of a horseshoe. Some people call them hog backs. The vineyard blocks are in unusual shapes that are far from symmetrical or uniform. This creates management challenges that are worth overcoming in order to cultivate vines that embody the sublime setting that Smith Ridge offers. The row alignment of the vines in the most westward blocks is northwest and southwest facing on either side of the ridge. The vines at the other end of the ridge are west facing on one side and east facing on the other. Through historic observation it has been determined that Phase II of Flowers Ranch has a microclimate of its own; it is warmer with consistently higher temperatures. The soils that are the foundation of Phase II are entitled Boomer, Josephine, Laughlin, and Yorkville soils. Boomer and Josephine are soils both typified by deep, well drained soils derived from metamorphic parent material such as weathered greenstone. The soils are gravelly loam with fine blocky structure at the surface. The surface soil is friable and easy to crumble. The subsoil is sandy clay loam and clay loam and can become very hard when dry. This limits the rooting depth of the vine once they extend past the surface soil. Although this is hard on the vine it is preferable from the perspective of the viticulturist. It means the vigor of the vine can be limited. The Laughlin soils located in the vineyard blocks are shallow and lay over fractured medium grained sandstone. The soil above the sandstone is a loam which consists of equal parts sand, silt and clay. The surface and subsurface soil structure is granular and is effortlessly penetrated by vine roots. Within areas dominated by one or two soil types there are inclusions of Yorkville soil. Yorkville is a very deep, well drained, high clay soil. The clay is sticky and plastic when wet and very hard when dry. The rootstocks vary throughout the vineyard and

5 were selected in part due to the variations in soil. The viticulturist selects rootstocks that will respond to the soil in a desired manner. For example, gravelly loam soils will have lower plant nutrients and available water holding capacity. The clay soils will be more fertile and retain water more readily. Thus, the vigor of the vines in these two soils will vary if they are planted with the same rootstock. In order to promote uniformity, the rootstocks are chosen based on vigor potential; low vigor rootstocks are planted in high vigor soils and high vigor rootstocks are chosen for areas with low vigor soils. Thus, the viticulturist can limit the vegetative growth of the vine and manage for the best possible wine grapes. CMR RANCH Camp Meeting Ridge is a 29.3 acre vineyard planted on three parcels in both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wine grapes. To get to the ranch one must traverse a windy dirt road that is flanked on one side by a considerable drop in elevation. Upon entering the vineyard the surrounding ridges and canyons are visible. The perspective makes it evident that CMR is on a ridge-top open to the unobstructed sky. When leaving the vineyard at night the Milky Way and constellations are brilliant against the clear dark sky. There are at least 6 soils at Camp Meeting Ridge, they are: Hugo-Atwell complex, Hugo-Josephine complex, Josephine loam, Mendocino sandy clay loam and Yorkville clay loam. The vines are planted in Boomer, Hugo and Yorkville soils. The remaining soils are beneath forest and chaparral on unplanted areas of the ranch. The oldest part of the vineyard is planted with an east-west row alignment. The younger part of the vineyard is planted in rows aligned across the landscape in a northeast-southwest direction. This alignment maximizes morning sun, protects the vines from afternoon sunburn and reduces wind exposure. The central part of the vineyard consists of linear and uniform rows of grape vines. Along the perimeter of the ranch are vine rows planted perpendicular to the steep contours that seem to tumble onto each other. These blocks on the margins of the ranch figuratively represent the harsh environment of the Sonoma Coast. The terrain is insurmountable and can only be mildly tamed by coalescing vines with the natural inclinations of the land. Thus, they grow along the slope of the land and clutch on by anchoring into the soil with their strong roots. The vineyard is planted in Boomer, Hugo and Yorkville soils but Boomer is the predominate soil at CMR. Boomer is a gravelly loam at the surface and sandy clay loam at depth. The soil is deep and well drained over metamorphic rock. The structure of the soil is blocky. The soil is hard when dry and can be difficult for vine roots to grow through. The vineyard has inclusions of Hugo and Yorkville soils interspersed within Boomer soil areas. Hugo soil is a younger soil weathered from sedimentary rock parent material. The soil texture is gravelly sandy clay loam with granular soil structure at the surface and blocky structure at depth. Yorkville soil is a deep soil consisting of loam at the surface and clay at a depth of 15 inches and deeper. The soil developed from weathered metamorphic rocks. The surface structure of the soil is blocky. Due to the high clay content there is prismatic structure in the lower horizons.

Supplemental Information READING You can read more about each of the soil types by typing in the names at: http://ortho.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/cgi-bin/osd/osdnamequery.cgi Note: Check out this webpage.

com/sections/our_vineyard/neighborhood_bottom.html# SOIL GENESIS Soil genesis is dictated by 5 soil forming factors: time, biota, climate, parent material and topography.

6 Supplemental Information READING You can read more about each of the soil types by typing in the names at: Note: Check out this webpage. The map is interactive; when you hover the cursor over the blocks, soils info pops up. I can make such maps with the GIS program I use. SOIL GENESIS Soil genesis is dictated by 5 soil forming factors: time, biota, climate, parent material and topography. In many ways, the ranches have some extreme examples of these factors: high average, annual rainfall of 44 inches, steep slopes, underlying marine sedimentary rock, high elevation and close proximity to the rugged Sonoma Coast. SOIL ORDERS The soil orders existing on CMR and Flowers ranches range from deep, dark, well developed Mollisols (from mollis [Latin] = soft) to shallow, rocky, young Inceptisols (inceptum, Latin for beginning). There are also a few Alfisols (meaningless prefix but Al for Aluminum and Fe sound for Iron) on the property. Alfisols are considered the typical forest soil. Mollisol soil profile Alfisol soil profile Inceptisol soil profile SOIL TEXTURE The soil textures of the vineyard soils vary from area to area. Soil texture refers to the percentage of sand, silt, and clay particles in a soil. Sand, silt, and clay particles are defined by their size. The most common soil texture identified at CMR and Flowers

7 vineyards is clay loam. There are also sandy clay loams and loams. Clay loam consists of soil material having the most even distribution of sand, silt, and clay of any of the soil textural grades. Clay loam feels as though it possesses more clay than sand or silt. Sticky and plastic when wet, it forms casts that are firm when moist and hard when dry. SOIL TEXTURE Soil Structure reflects how the individual soil particles clump or bind together or aggregate. Natural aggregates that can be clearly seen in the field are called "peds". Structure is very important since (along with texture) it affects the pore space of the soil. A dense structure will greatly reduce the amount of air and water that can move freely through the soil. Also, it will affect the plant's ability to penetrate the soil with its roots. There are five major classes of structure seen in soils: granular, blocky, platy, prismatic and structureless. CMR and Flowers ranch soils are predominately sub-angular blocky in structure. Blocky structures are common in sub-soils but are also found in grassland surface soils that have high clay content. The blocky peds are formed largely as a result of swelling and shrinking of the clay minerals which produce cracks. The next class of soil structure common on the ranches is granular. Granular structure is very common in the surface soils of rich grasslands with high organic matter content. Mineral aggregates are glued together by organic matter. Cultivation, earthworms, frost action and rodents mix the soil and keep the peds small. This structure allows for good porosity and easy movement of air and water. The soil is generally easy to till. The soils of CMR and Flowers vineyards also include prismatic structures; they are in the least abundance. Prismatic structure is characteristic of sub-soils of grasslands that have the shape of prisms. The vertical cracks result from wetting and drying as well as the downward movement of water and roots. VEGETATION Flowers and CMR Ranches are surrounded by forest vegetation including coast redwood, Douglas-fir, grand fir, tan oak, madrone, Califoria black oak, ponderosa pine, manzanita, and toyon interspersed with poison oak, buckbrush and grasses. CLIMATE Both ranches are located in a region with a xeric moisture regime. This is a soil moisture regime common to Mediterranean climates that have moist cool winters and warm dry summers. A limited amount of water is present but does not occur at optimum periods for plant growth. Irrigation is commonly necessary for crop production. Glossary of Terms Alfisol: soils developing under forest covers of the humid midlatitudes. Common to the humid continental (like the one in Michigan on the above) and humid subtropical climates, these soils are well developed.

8 Inceptisol: soils just starting to show signs of horizon development. Mollisol: develop under grassland vegetation; these soils are well-known for their dark brown to black organic rich surface layers. Mollisols are high in nutrients and rich in calcium soils among the most fertile soils on the earth. Mollisols are found in the drier portions of the humid continental climate through the steppe climate. Soil Order: the highest level of classification in the USDA Comprehensive Soil Classification System. Soil orders are distinguished on the basis of diagnostic horizons. (See also andisol, alfisol, spodosol, aridisol, mollisol, ultisol, oxisol, inceptisol, entisol, histosol) Soil Series: The soil series is the lowest category of the national soil classification system. The name of a soil series is the common reference term, used to name soil map units. Soil series are the most homogenous classes in the system of taxonomy. "Official Soil Series Descriptions" define specific soil series in the United States, Territories, Commonwealths, and Island Nations served by USDA-NRCS. They are descriptions of the taxa in the series category of the national system of soil classification. They serve mainly as specification for identifying and classifying soils. The descriptions contain soil properties that define the soil series, distinguish it from other soil series, serve as the basis for the placement of that soil series in the soil family, and provide a record of soil properties needed to prepare soil interpretations.

The GEOGRAPHY of SOILS. Physical Geography (Geog. 300) Prof. Hugh Howard American River College

The GEOGRAPHY of SOILS. Physical Geography (Geog. 300) Prof. Hugh Howard American River College The GEOGRAPHY of SOILS Physical Geography (Geog. 300) Prof. Hugh Howard American River College SOIL and SOIL- FORMING FACTORS SOIL and FORMING FACTORS Soil Natural surface layer of Earth Composed of mineral