What in the world does all this mean...

Colquhoun Champaign, IL(Zone 5b) Apr 21, 2008

according to U of I.. my soil is..

FLANAGAN SERIES
Silty Loam
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, mesic Aquic Argiudolls

so what in the world is.. smectitic, mesic Aquic Argiudolls

Post #4838628

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sallyg Anne Arundel,, MD(Zone 7b) Apr 21, 2008

A really radical new "girl group?"
I had Soils 101 ages ago but don't remember any of that- Silty Loam sounds pretty nice.

Post #4838885

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Zanymuse Scotia, CA(Zone 9b) Apr 23, 2008

Since those terms are not found in the exact spellingsof the dictionary, this is as close as I can guess that they may be saying. That your sandy loam is made up of a fine white clay that retains moisture and is suitable for plantings that are adapted to a moist environment.

Quoting:

Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) - Cite This Source - Share This
smec�tic Audio Help /ˈsmɛktɪk/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[smek-tik] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation
�adjective Physical Chemistry. (of liquid crystals) noting a mesomorphic state in which the arrangement of the molecules is in layers or planes.

Compare nematic.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Origin: 1665�75 for earlier sense �cleansing�; < L sm�cticus < Gk sm�ktik�s, equiv. to sm�kt(�s) smeared, verbid of smchein to wash out, clean + -tikos -tic]
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1)
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, � Random House, Inc. 2006.
Encyclop�dia Britannica, Inc.
smectic

To learn more about smectic visit Britannica.com

� 2008 Encyclop�dia Britannica, Inc.
American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This smec�tic Audio Help (směk'tĭk) Pronunciation Key
adj. Of or relating to the mesomorphic phase of a liquid crystal in which molecules are closely aligned in a distinct series of layers, with the axes of the molecules lying perpendicular to the plane of the layers.

The American Heritage Science Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This mesic Audio Help (měz'ĭk, měs'-, mē'zĭk, -sĭk) Pronunciation Key
Relating or adapted to a moderately moist habitat. The sugar maple, white ash, and basswood are mesic plants.

American Heritage Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This ar�gil Audio Help (�r'jĭl) Pronunciation Key
n. Clay, especially a white clay used by potters.

[Middle English argilla, from Latin, from Greek argillos; see arg- in Indo-European roots.]

(Download Now or Buy the Book) The American Heritage� Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright � 2006 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
WordNet - Cite This Source - Share This argil

noun
a white clay (especially a white clay used by potters)

WordNet� 3.0, � 2006 by Princeton University.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary - Cite This Source - Share This
Argil

Ar"gil, n. [F. argile, L. argilla white clay, akin to Gr. ? or ? argil, ? white. See Argent.] (Min.) Clay, or potter's earth; sometimes pure clay, or alumina. See Clay. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, � 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

But this is just a wild guess at best! Too bad they didn't speak English on that report or at least use terms that are recognized by our dictionaries!

Post #4850347

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CompostR south central, PA(Zone 6b) Apr 24, 2008

Interesting question. I'm no soil scientist but you can see that soil science is, well, a science, and is highly technical. Zanymuse points in the right direction with those definitions. Here is what I found on the two sites below:

Flanagan series - ..."deep, somewhat poorly drained soils that formed in loess or other silty material..."
Loess - "material transported and deposited by wind ... silt-sized particles."
Silt - "mineral particles 0.05 to 0.005 mm" (A big grain of sand is about 2 mm)
Loam - "contains 7-27% clay, 28-50% silt, less than 52% sand"
Smectitic - smectite refers to the structure of silicates in the soil (also see Zany)
Aquic - Refers to soil so saturated it has almost no oxygen
Arguidolls - I think this refers to clay in the soil (as Zany found)

To summarize I think they are saying you have fine soil that tends to become water-logged. Does that sound like your soil?

Here�s a glossary of soil science terms:
https://www.soils.org/sssagloss/
Especially helpful might be the entry for �soil texture�

From a USDA site: Flanagan series (this might be what they sent you)
http://ortho.ftw.nrcs.usda.gov/osd/dat/F/FLANAGAN.html