Soil Types

People describe soil types in all kinds of ways such as heavy, light, sandy, clay, loam, poor or good. Soil scientists describe soil types by how much sand, silt and clay are present. This is called texture. It is possible to change the texture by adding different things. Changing texture can help in providing the right conditions needed for plant growth.

Sand is the largest particle in the soil. When you rub it, it feels rough. This is because it has sharp edges. Sand doesn't hold many nutrients.

Silt is a soil particle whose size is between sand and clay. Silt feels smooth and powdery. When wet it feels smooth but not sticky.

Clay is the smallest of particles. Clay is smooth when dry and sticky when wet. Soils high in clay content are called heavy soils. Clay also can hold a lot of nutrients, but doesn't let air and water through it well.

Particle size has a lot to do with a soil's drainage and nutrient holding capacity. To better understand how big these three soil particles are, think of them like this. If a particle of sand were the size of a basketball, then silt would be the size of a baseball, and clay would be the size of a golf ball. Line them all up, and you can see how these particles compare in size.

Did you get all that? Test what you know by solving Mystery #1.