Knowing about soil can be a dirty business.
The word “soil” broadly defines loosened earth materials of various chemical and structural compositions that cover much of the planet’s surface.
These include humus, organic and inorganic materials, and disintegrated rocks that have broken down over the course of millions of years due to forces such as water, wind, and chemical reactions.
Some gardeners consider there to be four basic soil types: clay, sand, silt, and loam.
Others add peat and chalk.
Below are the six main types of soil:
6 Types Of Soil
1. Clay Soil
A poor draining soil, clay often has a lumpy feel.
It is very hard when dry and sticky when wet.
The soil particles within clay have very few air spaces between them.
Of the six soil types covered in this list, clay is the heaviest and most dense of the soils.
Moisture easily fills the few gaps that exist between the tightly packed particles of soil.
Clay is known by many as the soil used on most infields where people play baseball or softball.
Some tennis courts are also composed of clay.
The resilience of this soil makes it a perfect playing surface for these games.
During the winter, clay usually maintains a very moist and chilly character.
This soil dries out during the summer.
The drying process often takes a substantial amount of time, sometimes leading to the soil appearing as if it has “cracked” when it finally becomes very dry.
Clay absorbs heat and often has an abundance of nutrients.
Despite the high level of nutrients in many clay soils, the lack of aeration and compact nature of this soil makes it difficult for growing many plants.
For a gardener, clay poses a challenge if they wish to grow plants.
Since it does not drain very well, this dense soil does not provide much room for the roots to grow within it.
For the best results, when they use this soil as a base, gardeners should mix some organic matter.
Do this a few weeks before planting, so the matter can further decompose and create more substantial gaps within the soil that will allow roots of plants added later to expand within the clay.
Adding these nutrients helps to make the soil less dense and more amenable to growing crops.
Certain shrubs and perennials grow well in clay.
These include aster, flowering quince, and bergamot.
Some ornamental shrubs and trees, as well as fruit trees, also thrive in clay soils, assuming that the gardener has added sufficient mulch or other organic matter to allow the roots to establish themselves firmly.
Soft berry crops and many early vegetable crops that would usually grow to maturity before the time of the year when clay warms and dries would not do as well, due to the compact and cool nature of the soil at the time of their greatest expected yield.
If you use the ‘Mud Shake Test’ to determine soils, adding garden soil to a clear jar that is two-thirds full of water, shaking it, and allowing it to settle for a couple of days, here is what should happen:
Particles of dirt should settle in layers, with the heaviest at the bottom, and any organic matter floating near the top.
Clay, along with silty soil, appears with a layer of particles at the bottom of cloudy water.
2. Sandy Soil
Sand has a gritty feel, like the way it stays in between a person’s toes as they walk along a sandy beach.
Unlike the clays that were just mentioned, sand tends to dry out fast and drain easily.
As the weather begins to warm in the spring, sand warms up as well.
This explains why walking on a hot subtropical or tropical beach during the heat of summer will burn a person’s feet, even if the sand is white in color rather than dark like asphalt or pavement.
Because it dries fast and drains easily, sandy soils are good for cultivation.
However, these characteristics do pose a different problem.
Very sandy soils tend to hold fewer nutrients, and rain or other moisture easily washes them away.
Acidic in character and lower in nutrients, these lighter soils can be a mixed bag.
Quick warming up and efficient water drainage makes them better for growing many crops that do not take root as well in clay.
However, in areas with substantial moisture and humidity, very sandy soils may lack sufficient nutrients to sustain crops unless they are regularly added.
Placing mulch and other organic matter on highly sandy soil promotes its capacity to hold water and nutrients vital to the growth of plants.
Examples of organic mulch to add include dried clippings of grass, leaves, or straw.
One may also supplement sandy soil’s organic base with manure or compost.
Sand has this composure since it has a foundation based on weathered rocks, such as quartz, limestone, and granite.
The more sandy the soil’s composition, the less ability it will have to hold vital water and nutrients.
Think of a sand dune or a large stretch of sandy beach.
While some plant life may grow in these areas, the conditions for their long-term survival depend on many factors that make it more of a challenge than a soil with a different balance of sediments.
Consider the sea oats found on some beaches, in places such as Florida.
Illegal to pick, these plants are valued for the extensive root systems they dig into the sandy soil along saltwater areas.
Their root networks help to prevent beach erosion.
While sea oats do well in soils that are very sandy, other plants can take root and grow well in soils with a high proportion of sand in their mix.
Examples include hibiscus, tulips, some types of roses, bulbs and shrubs.
Potatoes and carrots also favor sandier soils, assuming they have proper water and fertilizer that allow them to grow.
Soils with a larger proportion of sand also serve as the foundation for a number of commercially grown crops.
These include collard greens, corn, lettuce, peppers, squash, strawberries, tomatoes, and zucchini.
This explains why areas of the Florida peninsula and some of the valleys in California with large amounts of alluvial soil of a sandy nature have become very popular agricultural areas.
If you use the ‘Mud Shake Test’ to determine soils, adding garden soil to a clear jar that is two-thirds full of water, shaking it, and allowing it to settle for a couple of days, here is what should happen:
Particles of dirt should settle in layers, with the heaviest at the bottom, and any organic matter floating near the top.
Sandy soils will have nearly all of the particles forming in a layer at the bottom, with the water generally having a clear appearance.
3. Silty Soil
With a soapy and soft feel, silty soils have a much different composure than the grains of sand or clay, whether wet or dry.
Silt is an excellent type of soil for gardeners for a couple of important reasons.
This soil usually has a rich composure of nutrients within it, and silt holds moisture very well.
Considered a lighter and more moisture retentive soil, the medium-sized particles found within a silty soil mix drain sufficiently to allow roots to take hold.
Their fine particulate matter allows for the soil to compact easily.
One downside to its soil balance is that substantial rains or water activity does have the tendency to wash away silty soils.
Therefore, adding organic matter allows the silt to bind in a way that creates more stable clumping and keeps it together in wetter environments and areas with less-than-perfect drainage.
With appropriate levels of drainage and proper management, silty soils offer a good mix for those with green thumbs.
Silty soil sits in the middle of the continuum between clay and sand.
The minerals and rock particles that serve as its foundation are larger than clay.
They are smaller than sand.
The fine quality and smooth nature of silt makes it better at holding water than sandier soil.
Since moving currents of water can relocate silt with great ease, this soil type is frequently found in close proximity to lakes, rivers, and similar water bodies.
River sediments give many silty soils a wealth of organic nutrients, making this a perfect soil that is commonly used for gardening in many areas.
The biggest challenge a gardener has when working with a silty soil foundation is to find the best drainage balance to assure crops or plants will thrive.
Sitting between drier sand and hard-to-dry clay, silt offers a greater fertility than soils that have higher clay or sand foundations, and is very suitable for enhancing agricultural practices.
Trees that love moisture do very well in silty soil.
These include cypress, dogwood, birch, and willow trees, among others.
Areas with appropriate drainage and silt-based soils will sustain most fruit and vegetable crops with little additional effort, as long as good drainage exists and there are appropriate nutrients in the soil to allow the preferred crops to take root and grow.
Many perennials, shrubs, and climbing plants perform well in silty soil, as do most grasses.
If you use the ‘Mud Shake Test’ to determine soils, adding garden soil to a clear jar that is two-thirds full of water, shaking it, and allowing it to settle for a couple of days, here is what should happen:
Particles of dirt should settle in layers, with the heaviest at the bottom, and any organic matter floating near the top.
Along with clay-based elements, silty soil appears as a cloudy water with heavier particle layers resting at the bottom of the jar.
4. Peaty Soil
This darker soil has a larger amount of peat within it than the previously mentioned dirt.
With high levels of organic matter and the ability to hold substantial amounts of moisture, this soil is often added to other soil mixes since it tends to provide an excellent soil base when planting many items.
Damp and spongier to your fingers, this soil has a more acidic foundation and fewer nutrients than one finds in silty soil.
The acidic nature of the soil slows down the decomposition of some nutrients.
Bogs and other marshy areas often have a higher proportion of peat in their soil base.
Unlike clay and more similar to sand, peaty soil does tend to heat up quickly as temperatures warm in the spring.
Unlike sand and more similar to clay, peaty soil does also tend to retain much of its moisture.
This means that proper drainage channels become necessary for soils that have a very high level of peat.
Mixing various organic materials into a peat base enhances its ability to support prolific plant and crop growth.
The addition of lime or compost will lower the acidity and make the soil more neutral for plants that cannot handle very acidic soils.
Blueberries and other crops that grow well in soils with more of an acidic base will thrive in peaty soil.
They grow in large batches because blueberries prefer a heavier, darker soil that remains damp but tends to have fewer nutrients than silty soils do.
Azalea, camellia, heather, witch hazel, rhododendron, and lantern trees thrive in peaty soils.
If well-drained and maintained with a proper nutrient base, legumes, salad crops, and root crops also perform well in peat.
If you use the ‘Mud Shake Test’ to determine soils, adding garden soil to a clear jar that is two-thirds full of water, shaking it, and allowing it to settle for a couple of days, here is what should happen:
Particles of dirt should settle in layers, with the heaviest at the bottom, and any organic matter floating near the top.
Many particles will float on the surface if the soil is peaty in nature, with the water having a slightly cloudy appearance and only a thin layer of soil resting at the bottom of the jar.
5. Chalky Soil
Compared with its soil cousins, chalk has a stonier composure and larger grains.
Alkaline in nature, this soil is more of a base than an acid.
Indeed, the powdery and chunky texture of chalk-based soils means that it is often located in regions with substantial rock or limestone bases.
In many cases, if a gardener determines that their soil has a very high chalk content, they will need to enhance it with minerals, nutrients, and bulky organic materials that decompose over time and release their chemical foundations into the soil.
Soils with a high chalk content may lead to yellowish leaves and more stunted growth.
In most cases, small rocks may promote drainage around chalkier soils.
Placing humus on this type of soil will improve its ability to retain water and make it better for growing plants.
In nearly all cases, soils with a very high chalk content will require nutrients to enhance it and give the dirt a more acidic nature.
Some vegetables can grow in chalkier soil.
These include cabbage, sweet corn, spinach, and beets.
Blueberries and strawberries, on the other hand, will not thrive in chalky soil, so avoid planting crops such as these.
Lillies are among the bulbs and shrubs that perform well in chalky soil.
If you use the ‘Mud Shake Test’ to determine soils, adding garden soil to a clear jar that is two-thirds full of water, shaking it, and allowing it to settle for a couple of days, here is what should happen:
Particles of dirt should settle in layers, with the heaviest at the bottom, and any organic matter floating near the top.
With chalky soils, one notices a gritty-looking layer of white fragments at the bottom.
Rather than a clear perspective, the water should have more of a pale gray tone.
6. Loamy Soil
Many gardeners view the four main soil types as clay, sand, silt, and loam.
Of these, clay, sand, and silt serve as the foundations.
Loam is where they come together.
To those who talk about four major soil types rather than six, the peaty and chalky soils are often thought to be more minor areas.
If you think of a soil pyramid with clay at the top and sand and silt on the sides, loam would occupy the middle ground.
The last of the major soil types, loam has a fairly balanced soil palate of clay, sand, and silt.
This mixing of these other foundation soils gives loam a texture that takes the best of each soil group.
Loamy soils retain moisture and nutrients.
They have a great structure that provides the drainage necessary for many plants and crops to take root and thrive.
While loamy soils warm in the spring to promote the expansion of roots, they do not dry the way sands tend to do as temperatures rise.
In most circumstances, if a gardener has soil with a loamy mixture, they should consider themselves quite lucky.
The positive attributes of clay, sand, and silt are present.
Of course, very few soils are perfectly loamy in nature, so they may have a more predominant characteristic.
For example, it may be a clay loam or a sandy loam.
Loam soils are great for farming and agricultural cultivation.
The equilibrium of clay, sand, and silt makes this a true agricultural soil, rather than the sand on the beach or the hard-to-drain clay.
Loam possesses humus and a higher level of calcium due to the inorganic materials within its foundation.
Loam is a great soil for many organic materials to grow.
A variety of vines, shrubs, tubers, and perennials take root easily in loamy soil.
As a very productive soil type, loam hosts most berry and vegetable crops as well.
However, even a perfect soil for harvesting and crop cultivation requires some oversight by an agriculturalist, farmer, or gardener.
One needs to manage crops carefully to assure that they do not dry out or that nutrients necessary for certain crops do not deplete.
Crop rotation helps replenish nutrients that are needed by different types of plants to ensure that the soil remains productive.
Compost, mulch, and other organic nutrients can also enhance the productivity of the soil.
If you use the ‘Mud Shake Test’ to determine soils, adding garden soil to a clear jar that is two-thirds full of water, shaking it, and allowing it to settle for a couple of days, here is what should happen:
Particles of dirt should settle in layers, with the heaviest at the bottom, and any organic matter floating near the top.
The water will become generally clear in a loamy soil, with layers resting below the water.
The finest particles will sit on the top, with thicker ones below.
NEXT: Why Is Underwear So Expensive? (Top 10 Reasons)