Measuring Cation Exchange Capacity Since a soil's CEC comes from the clay and organic matter present, it can be estimated from soil texture and color. Table 1 lists some soil groups based on color and ...

5. Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC). This, plus base saturation levels, help characterize soil type, Friedericks says. Together, they show how a soil can hold specific plant nutrients in the profile.

CEC is a measurement of a soil’s capacity to retain soil minerals that plants require. Positively charged molecules are cations; these include minerals such as calcium, magnesium, potassium ...

Cation exchange capacity is associated with a soil or substrate's ability to hold added mineral nutrients, with higher CEC soils providing more consistent cation supply.

Let's reuse the example from the Dec. 19 column -- a mixture of 60 percent sand, 20 percent clay and 20 percent silt. On the clay axis, which is the left side of the chart, find the 20 percent mark.

The higher the CEC, the better the soil holds onto nutrients. For comparison, soils with a higher silt and clay content have a CEC of around 30-40, while our sandy Florida soils have a CEC of ...