Vancouver Island - Soils

Tools, factsheets and resources for the Vancouver Island agricultural region on the following soil and nutrient topics:

Soil and Nutrient Management Resources

Factsheets and handbooks for soil management and nutrient amendment practices. Note: some information in these documents may not be applicable to all areas. Always refer to your own soil test results and local weather conditions.

Top Requested Documents for Vancouver Island region

• Nutrient Management Reference Guide
• Understanding Your Soil Test Recommendation for Liming [pdf]
• Evaluation of Agricultural Limestone [pdf]
• Guidelines for Soil or Woodwaste Fill [pdf]

Soil and Nutrient Management

Learn more about soil and nutrient Management:

• Environmental Farm Management Planning Reference Guide (PDF) See chapter 6 for nutrients/soil amendments and chapter 8 for soil management.
•  Soil management publications
• Nutrient management / soil amendment publications

Soil Testing Resources

Guides, contacts and tools for conducting soil tests and determining fertilizer recommendations. More information is available at Nutrient Management.  To contact a soil scientist see “Useful Contacts” on the Nutrient Management page.

• Learn how to take a soil sample (PDF)
• Find a laboratory to analyze soil samples (PDF)
• Understanding Different Soil Test Methods (PDF)

For the Vancouver Island Region, convert soil test P and K values to “Kelowna method” equivalent values (conversions are based on Lower Mainland and Okanagan samples), use the spreadsheet below for conversion.

• Soil Test Phosphorus and Potassium Converter (XLS)

Find interpretations and fertilizer recommendations for soil test P and K values of the “Kelowna method”.

• Interpretations for Soil Test Phosphorus and Potassium: Guidelines for Southern British Columbia  (PDF)

For all nutrients other than P and K, the most recent and comprehensive interpretations are in the following publication:

• Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Methods and Interpretations of Their Results for British Columbia Agricultural Soils (PDF)

Agricultural Capability Maps and Soil Surveys

• Land Capability Map Database Click on “TEI Scanned Map Index” for the excel spreadsheet, sort by Capability-Agriculture under the Project Name column and scroll across to Column T for links to individual maps.

• Land Capability Classification Manual (PDF). Handbook for assessing and classifying agricultural soil capability.

Agriculture Canada Soil Surveys

For questions about these maps and data sets, contact Agriculture Canada.

• Duncan–Nanaimo area
• Parksville, Qualicum, Courtenay and Port Alberni areas
• Southeast Vancouver Island and Gulf Islands
• Southern Vancouver Island
• More Vancouver Island and Coast / B.C. soil maps and surveys

Agricultural Land Commission Maps

For questions about these maps or the Agricultural Land Reserve, contact the Agricultural Land Commission.

• Island Panel Region (PDF)
• All Agricultural Land Reserve Map