You have determined that you have clay soil, now what? Clay soil can cause a number of problems. If it takes more than 24 hours for the hole to completely drain only tree that withstand occasional flooding will survive. If it takes 12-24 hours to drain, the soil is best suited to plants that tolerate heavy or clay soils. If it drains in less than 12 hours, the soil should be able to support plants that require well-drained soil. Now fill the hole again and keep track of how long it takes to drain. Fill the hole with water and let it drain completely. Sandy soils have very little clay.Ī percolation test can also be done by digging a hole about 2 feet deep and one foot wide. Soil that is equal parts clay, silt and sand is called loam. If the clay layer makes up half or more of your sample, you have heavy clay soil. Looking at these layers, you can now see, comparatively, just how much sand, silt and clay make up your soil. You may have a small layer on top of the clay, this is your organic matter. After a day or two, the clay will have made up the next level. Make another mark after one hour to indicate how much silt settled out. After one minute, the sand will have settled out - mark this level.
Fill it with water and shake for a minute to get everything stirred up and floating. Fill a clear jar 1/3 of the way with the soil and mark the level on the jar. Break up the soil and take out and rock or sticks. Clay soil will feel slippery when wet while sand feels course and rough.Īnother home test can be done by collecting a representative sample of your soil. Get some of the soil wet and rub it between you fingers. Soils high in clay will form a hard clod that won't easily crumble like soils with lots of sand and silt. How can you determine what your soils type and texture? A general way to determine what type of soil you have is to take a handful of soil that is fairly dry and workable and squeeze it into a lump. The texture can greatly influence your soils drainage and ability to hold nutrients. What is soil texture? Soil texture is determined by the relative amounts of sand, silt and clay your soil has. Soil is composed of minerals in the form of sand, silt or clay and organic components such as water, air, living organisms, manure or plant material.
What is soil anyway? Soil is made up of two components. Before you pick up a shovel or even pick out a plant, you need to educate yourself first. A Heritage River Birch will tolerate clay soils. A Crimson King Maple requires sandy-loam, well drained soils. Before any planting should be done, you need to know what type of soil you are working with and what plants are best suited to grow there. Knowing your soil type is the first step to a successful landscape.
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