Understanding The Different Types Of Soil
Knowing about the different types of soil is beneficial for its proper use and making improvements. Soil plays a far-reaching role than one could possibly imagine, from holding the roots of plants together, to providing nutrients to flora, shelter to countless organisms and so on. Let us look in detail for understanding the different soil types found in the garden..
Clay soils
Containing the smallest particles and 25% clay, clay soils have the capacity to hold on water. Working with clay soils when wet is quite easy, but not so during summers as it tends to crack and harden making its workability less.
An easy method to identify clay soils is its sticky nature when wetted. It easily clumps to roll into a ball and does not fall apart.
The benefits are it holds onto nutrients and prevents it from leeching. Likewise, the slow drainage makes it slow to warm up during spring.
Roses, hydrangea, fuchsia, oaks, any plants that require a lot of water thrive in clay soils.
Sandy soils
This has a higher content of sand and little clay making drainage effortless. The particles of sandy soils are large and coarse to the touch. Susceptible to leaching this has low nutrient content. But adding proper organic matter makes sandy soils easy to work with. Plants like cacti and succulents that do not require much maintenance flourish in these light soils.
Silt soils
Silty soils are the intermediate type as they contain medium sized particles and have the capacity to hold on water as well as maintain ample drainage. Although silt soils are easier to work with, they do have a greater tendency to form crusts. Climbers, vegetables and fruits grow well in silt soils.
Loam
This is a mixture of clay, sand and silt and has the advantages of all the three making it the best option. At times the presence of stones makes harvesting difficult. Crops such as wheat, pulses, onions, lettuce bloom in loam soils.
Peat soils
This spongy soil to touch is scarcely found, contains the highest organic matter and is often added to other soils to increase their fertility content. Rhododendrons and all garden plants thrive well in these.
Chalky soils
Chalky soils consist of calcium carbonate and its very alkaline nature makes it suitable for only such plants like jasmine, grape vines, ivy, pines and so-forth. The alkalinity makes it unsuitable for ericaceous plants.
Final words
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