Interpretation
- Chemical and physical properties of a soil are related to soil texture.
- Fine textured soils generally have a higher capacity for water retention, whereas sandy soils contain large pore spaces that allow leaching:
- Sandy soils contain large particles or grains and allow for easy root development/penetration, but they do not hold water/nutrients for long.
- Silty soils contain medium sized particles and hold water, nutrients and roots well. However, silty soils are easily washed away through surface runoff and/or could become compacted.
- Clay soils have very small particles with a high surface area-mass ratio, which means that clay soils can hold water and nutrients very well, perhaps too well sometimes… Too well, because they may form ‘hard pans’ when dry and/or become heavily compacted when wet, which makes for difficult penetration by roots and even garden tools.
- Particle size and distribution will therefore affect your soils’ capacity for holding water and nutrients.
- Often described as the ‘best garden soils’, loamy soils are made up of a mix of 30-50% sand, 30-50% silt and 20-30% clay, with 5 to 10% organic matter.