Basic Soil Composition
How to gauge the basic soil composition in your garden
Testing the basic soil composition in your garden.is easy. The do-it-at-home test will show you want you need to do to improve the growing conditons.
Basic Soil Composition
Although many gardeners are still looking at a snowy landscape, it is not too early to think about the upcoming season. One of the basics to check in the garden will be the overall state of the soil. There are two basic tests that can be done: The Basic Soil Composition and a Soil Test.
The composition of the soil: Soil contains three major components: Sand, silt, clay, plus some biological sediment.
Sand is that largest particle in the soil and is irregular in shape. The sand particles do not fit together snugly, so there are gaps between the individual particles. The gaps provide a space for air and water to collect which is needed by the plant roots. The gaps also mean that the sand can be easily accessed by roots. Too much sand will allow water to drain quickly from the surface and plant roots become deprived of nutrients and water. Sand is a major component in the Upper New York areas, as well as mountain slopes and coastal areas.
Silt is the middle size particle and perhaps the ideal for a garden. The size of silt particles allow it to retain moisture, as well as allow ample root growth, but also have enough cohesive energy to retain nutrients well.
Clay is the smallest size particle and most of us know clay better than any other form of ‘soil’. From the Rocky Mountains eastwards, the clay component tends to be the biggest problem. These difficult soil particles are small enough that they fit tighter closely and form a layer. Multiple layers fit snugly together in a way that prevents water and nutrients from penetrating. The result is that roots cannot penetrate the clay and drainage is poor. In essence the plant dies a miserable death.
Assessing Your Soil
Fortunately, the vast majority of us have a mix of all three particle sizes plus some organic material. If you visualize a triangle with silt, sand and clay at the corners.
The central areas are the best soil composition. Most natural soils are on the lower part.
To find your own composition, take a spade and dig a hole about six inches deep and remove the surface layer. Spoon about one cup of mix into a jar and fill with 2 cups of water. Shake vigorously for several minutes to fully mix the contents. Let the jar sit overnight and view the contents. The small clay particles will lie on the top, the coarse clay particles are at the bottom. From this test you will be able to visually see what you need to do to improve your soil. Do this soil composition test in different areas of the garden to get a good overall assessment of the conditions where your lawn is, your vegetable garden is or where you want to grow roses and amend each area as appropriate.
