Texas State Soil HOUSTON BLACK
The Houston Black soil series is found only in Texas, and was first described in 1902, the third year of the National Soil Survey program, in Brazoria County, TX. The Professional Soil Scientists Association of Texas chose Houston Black as the state soil of Texas. While the Houston Black has not been officially declared the state soil of Texas, it is considered a soil of state-wide importance, and thus is the unofficial state soil.
Most Houston Black soil is used as farmland, with the majority growing cotton, sorghum, and corn, but hay and pastureland are also common. It is one of the highest agricultural producing soils in Texas. Houston Black occurs in the area where millions of people live and work, including three of the largest metropolitan areas in Texas. While the soil and the landscape make the Blackland prairie very fertile agriculturally; the high clay content causes the soil to be very hard when dry and very sticky when wet, and it tends to shrink when dry and swell when wet. These properties pose limitations to how the land is worked for farming and construction. There are special management issues associated with the soil due
to these properties.
For more information about this and other State Soils, visit the Soil Science Society of America "Around the World-State Soils" website.
Texas State Soil HOUSTON BLACK
The Houston Black soil series is found only in Texas, and was first described in 1902, the third year of the National Soil Survey program, in Brazoria County, TX. The Professional Soil Scientists Association of Texas chose Houston Black as the state soil of Texas. While the Houston Black has not been officially declared the state soil of Texas, it is considered a soil of state-wide importance, and thus is the unofficial state soil.
Most Houston Black soil is used as farmland, with the majority growing cotton, sorghum, and corn, but hay and pastureland are also common. It is one of the highest agricultural producing soils in Texas. Houston Black occurs in the area where millions of people live and work, including three of the largest metropolitan areas in Texas. While the soil and the landscape make the Blackland prairie very fertile agriculturally; the high clay content causes the soil to be very hard when dry and very sticky when wet, and it tends to shrink when dry and swell when wet. These properties pose limitations to how the land is worked for farming and construction. There are special management issues associated with the soil due
to these properties.
For more information about this and other State Soils, visit the Soil Science Society of America "Around the World-State Soils" website.