How Do You Test Garden Soil For Texture Type?
All soil consist of clay, silt, and sand particles. Plants grow best when there is a nearly equal percentage of each of these, along with five to ten percent organic matter. Soil texture varies greatly, however, and can limit or prevent you from growing choice plants. To find out what you have, send a sample to your local agriculture extension service or perform this simple test at home. To determine your soil type, grab a handful of your soil, get it wet, and then squeeze it in the palm of your hand, taking note of what is happening. If the soil holds together in a firm shape, practically able to be bended without breaking, and feels sticky then it is primarily clay. While the surface area of clay soil holds nutrients and water, it also drains poorly and oxygen can’t get in. If your soil cant hold a shape at all and immediately crumbles, and feels gritty when moist, then it is primarily sand. Sandy soil warms up quickly, allowing good root growth, but because it drains so fast it wont
