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gil Downsizer Moderator
Joined: 08 Jun 2005 Posts: 18409
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Posted: Thu Sep 18, 08 12:26 pm Post subject: Soil texture - what kind have you got ? |
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What kind of soil have you got ?
Sandy, clayey, silty ?
This is really useful stuff to know, as it has all kinds of implications for how you work with it. what you might need to add, what will grow well, and what won't.
Knowing this information really changed my understanding of how to work my ground, and the growing has improved year on year.
There's still the interaction between location, weather and climate to factor in, and yes, each year produces more (usually unwelcome) surprises, but I have a far better understanding of what has gone wrong, why, and how I might sort it in the future.
Hand-texturing your soil
You can do this by hand, and it's quite easy.
Do it for topsoil, and also for subsoil (which may be different)
It involves digging down at least 6", and spreading a shovelful or several on a flattish surface (could be the ground)
Then grab a handful, and start playing with it.
This is how to analyse soil texture in the form of a questionnaire
The full DEFRA version, with the flowchart on page 3
and here's a US version that includes the useful pyramid diagram, but bear in mind that US soil classifications are different from UK
Simpler RHS version
Hope this is useful.
If you have queries or comments, please feel free to add below
Actually, we could have a discussion about different soil textures in this thread. |
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gil Downsizer Moderator
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