A survey of several soil physical characteristics of cultivated cranberry bog soils in North America

Abstract

Abstract Cranberries (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) historically have been established on peat based soils and, in most cases, are treated every three to five years with a 1–4 cm layer of sand. A total of 46 soil samples from cranberry bogs in five states [Massachusetts (MA), New Jersey (NJ), Oregon (OR), Washington (WA), and Wisconsin (WI)] and one Canadian province [British Columbia (BC)] were collected and analyzed for bulk density, particle density, and percent organic carbon to assess the range of these characteristics which have resulted from management practices. Soil bulk densities ranged from 0.16 to 1.40 Mg/m3, particle densities from 0.71 to 2.45 Mg/m3, and organic carbon from 1.3 to 95. 2%. The wide ranges reflect the differences between non‐sanded and regularly sanded bogs. The low end of density and high end of organic C were found in the non‐sanded bogs, which were located in WA and BC. The bogs from the other areas had higher average bulk and particle density levels, approximately 1 and 1.7 ...