1.

Soil Type: Sandy

Sandy soil has the largest particles among the different soil types. Its dry and gritty
to the touch, and because the particles have huge spaces between them, it cant
hold on to water.

Water drains rapidly, straight through to places where the roots, particularly those
of seedlings, cannot reach. Plants dont have a chance of using the nutrients in
sandy soil more efficiently as theyre swiftly carried away by the runoff.

The upside to sandy soil is that its light to work with and warms much more quickly
in the spring.

Testing what type of soil youre working with involves moistening the soil and rolling
it into a ball to check the predominating soil particle. When you roll the slightly wet
sandy soil in your palms, no ball should be formed and it crumbles through your
fingers easily.
2. Soil Type: Silty

Silty soil has much smaller particles than sandy soil so its smooth to the touch.
When moistened, its soapy slick. When you roll it between your fingers, dirt is left
on your skin.

Silty soil retains water longer, but it cant hold on to as much nutrients as youd
want it to though its fairly fertile. Due to its moisture-retentive quality, silty soil is
cold and drains poorly.

Silty soil can also easily compact, so avoid trampling on it when working your
garden. It can become poorly aerated, too.
3. Soil Type: Clay

Clay soil has the smallest particles among the three so it has good water storage
qualities. Its sticky to the touch when wet, but smooth when dry.

Due to the tiny size of its particles and its tendency to settle together, little air
passes through its spaces. Because its also slower to drain, it has a tighter hold on
plant nutrients. Clay soil is thus rich in plant food for better growth.

Clay soil is cold and in the spring, takes time to warm since the water within also
has to warm up. The downside is that clay soil could be very heavy to work with
when it gets dry. Especially during the summer months, it could turn hard and
compact, making it difficult to turn. (When clay soil is worked while its too wet
though, its prone to damage).

If moistened soil feels sticky, rolls up easily, and forms into a ball or sausage-like
shape, then youve got yourself clay.
4. Soil Type: Peaty

Peaty soil is dark brown or black in color, soft, easily compressed due to its high
water content, and rich in organic matter. Peat soil started forming over 9,000 years
ago, with the rapid melting of glaciers. This rapid melt drowned plants quickly and
died in the process. Their decay was so slow underwater that it led to the
accumulation of organic area in a concentrated spot.

Although peat soil tends to be heavily saturated with water, once drained, it turns
into a good growing medium. In the summer though, peat could be very dry and
become a fire hazard. (I kid you notpeat is the precursor of coal.) The most
desirable quality of peat soil, however, is in its ability to hold water in during the dry
months and its capacity to protect the roots from damage during very wet months.

Peat contains acidic water, but growers use it to regulate soil chemistry or pH levels
as well as an agent of disease control for the soil.

When wet peat soil is rolled, you wont form a ball. Its spongy to the touch and
when squeezed, water could be forced out.

5. Soil Type: Saline Soil

The soil in extremely dry regions is usually brackish because of its high salt content.
Known as saline soil, it can cause damage to and stall plant growth, impede
germination, and cause difficulties in irrigation.

The salinity is due to the buildup of soluble salts in the rhizospherehigh salt
contents prevent water uptake by plants, leading to drought stress.

Its easy enough to test if you have saline soil. Youll probably see a white layer
coating the surface of the soil, your plants are growing poorly, and theyre suffering
from leaf tip burn, especially on young leaves.

loam soil
The Ideal Soil Type: Loam

The type of soil that gardens and gardeners love is loamy soil. It contains a balance
of all three soil materialssilt, sand and clayplus humus. It has a higher pH and
calcium levels because of its previous organic matter content.

Loam is dark in color and is mealysoft, dry and crumblyin your hands. It has a
tight hold on water and plant food but it drains well, and air moves freely between
soil particles down to the roots.

The feel test for loam yields a smooth, partly gritty, partly sticky ball that crumbles
easily.

Although loamy soil is the ideal material to work with, dont despair if you dont
have it in your garden. Thats because soil will always favor one particles size over
the two others. Then again, there are many ways to condition your soiladding
beneficial soil inoculants, covering your soil with compost, or simply spraying leaves
and soil with compost tea.

Soil types

Knowing whether your soil type is clay, sand, silt, loam, peat or chalk will help you
choose the right plants for your garden and maintain them in good health.
Close up of clay soil pit.
Quick facts
Clay soils are heavy, high in nutrients, wet and cold in winter and baked dry in
summer
Sandy soils are light, dry, warm, low in nutrients and often acidic
Silt soils are fertile, light but moisture-retentive, and easily compacted
Loams are mixtures of clay, sand and silt that avoid the extremes of each type
Peat soils are very high in organic matter and moisture
Chalky soils are very alkaline and may be light or heavy
Jump to

Identifying your soil type

Working with your soil
Problems

The different soil types

Soils vary enormously in characteristics, but the size of the particles that make up a
soil defines its gardening characteristics:

Clay: less than 0.002mm

Silt: 0.002-0.05mm
Sand: 0.05-2mm

Stones: bigger than 2mm in size

Chalky soils also contain calcium carbonate or lime

The dominating particle size gives soil its characteristics and because the tiny clay
particles have a huge surface area for a given volume of clay they dominate the
other particles:

Tending to different soil types

Clay soils have over 25 percent clay. Also known as heavy soils, these are
potentially fertile as they hold nutrients bound to the clay minerals in the soil. But
they also hold a high proportion of water due to the capillary attraction of the tiny
spaces between the numerous clay particles. They drain slowly and take longer to
warm up in spring than sandy soils. Clay soils are easily compacted when trodden
on while wet and they bake hard in summer, often cracking noticeably. These soils
often test the gardener to the limits, but when managed properly with cultivation
and plant choice, can be very rewarding to work with
Sandy soils have high proportion of sand and little clay. Also known as light soils,
these soils drain quickly after rain or watering, are easy to cultivate and work. They
warm up more quickly in spring than clay soils. But on the downside, they dry out
quickly and are low in plant nutrients, which are quickly washed out by rain. Sandy
soils are often very acidic
Silt soils, comprised mainly of intermediate sized particles, are fertile, fairly well
drained and hold more moisture than sandy soils, but are easily compacted
Loams are comprised of a mixture of clay, sand and silt that avoid the extremes
of clay or sandy soils and are fertile, well-drained and easily worked. They can be
clay-loam or sandy-loam depending on their predominant composition and
cultivation characteristics
Peat soils are mainly organic matter and are usually very fertile and hold much
moisture. They are seldom found in gardens
Chalky or lime-rich soils may be light or heavy but are largely made up of calcium
carbonate and are very alkaline

Where building or landscaping has mixed up different soils, it can be very difficult to
tell what type of soil you have, and it may change markedly over a short distance.

Different soil types in vertical section - (from top to bottom) - loamy, sandy, clay,
soil enriched with organic matter.
Identifying your soil type

The best way to tell what type of soil you have is by touching it and rolling it in your
hands.

Sandy soil has a gritty element you can feel sand grains within it, and it falls
through your fingers. It cannot be rolled to make a sausage shape. If it is not a
coarse sand and perhaps a sandy loam it may stick together better
Clay soil has a smearing quality, and is sticky when wet. It is easily rolled into a
long thin sausage and can be smoothed to a shiny finish by rubbing with a finger. If
is it not a heavy clay it wont get quite as shiny and be as easy to make a sausage
Pure silt soils are rare, especially in gardens. They have a slightly soapy, slippery
texture, and do not clump easily

If soil froths when placed in a jar of vinegar, then it contains free calcium carbonate
(chalk) or limestone and is lime rich.

Another important aspect of soil type, is the pH (acidity or alkalinity). This will also
affect the type of plants you can grow and how you manage your soil.

Working with your soil

Now you know what type of soil you have, you can start to work with it and improve
it.
Clay soils

Clay soils are rich in nutrients and very fertile if their cloddiness can be broken up
by the addition of organic matter. This breaks down the clay into separate crumbs,
making the water and nutrients held within the clay more easily available to plant
roots. Breaking up the clay into crumbs also makes the soil warmer, more easily
workable and less prone to compaction.
Sandy soils

These light soils are usually low in nutrients, and lose water very quickly being
particularly free-draining. You can boost the water and nutrient holding capacity of
your soil by adding plenty of organic matter to bind the loose sand into more fertile
crumbs. Fertilisers may also be necessary to give plants grown in sandy soils an
extra boost.
Silt soils

These soils are made up of fine particles that can be easily compacted by treading
and use of garden machinery. They are prone to washing away and wind erosion if
left exposed to the elements without plant cover. However, they contain more
nutrients than sandy soils and hold more water, so tend to be quite fertile. You can
bind the silt particles into more stable crumbs by the addition of organic matter.
Loams

These soils are the gardeners best friend, being a perfect balance of all soil
particle types. But even though they are very good soils, it is important to regularly
add organic matter, especially if you are digging or cultivating these soils every
year.
Chalky soils

Chalky soils are alkaline, so will not support ericaceous plants that need acid soil
conditions. Very chalky soils may contain lumps of visible chalky white stone. Such
soils cannot be acidified, and it is better to choose plants that will thrive in alkaline
conditions. Many chalky soils are shallow, free-draining and low in fertility, but
variations exist, and where there is clay present, nutrient levels may be higher and
the water holding capacity greater.

Problems

Certain soil types are prone to particular problems. Clay soils can suffer drainage
problems and may not suit plants that need free draining conditions. Light, sandy
soils need a lot of watering.