How to Evaluate Your Soil Type

My Garden Life
August 5, 2016
Table of Contents

Believe it or not, plants in the garden do better if the soil is healthy. Soil health includes various measurements, such as available nutrients and minerals, the ability of water to drain, and pH levels. There are soil test kits available for purchase and university extension offices often accept soil samples to test in their laboratories, but a beginner gardener may not want to delve into all the technical aspects of soil health at first. Focus on a single aspect of soil health and perform this simple jar test to determine the makeup of your garden soil.

How to Evaluate Your Soil Type

Soil Amendments

If your soil texture is at one extreme, then you may want to stick to plants you know thrive in the existing soil environment. For example, an extremely sandy soil lends itself naturally to desert and dune plants (cacti, succulents, sage, grasses). On the other hand, if you are relatively close to the 40% sand/40% silt/20% clay soil makeup, then adding soil amendments will adjust the soil texture closer to the ideal of loam (remember healthier soil = healthier plants).

Sandy Soil – Your aim is to increase the soil’s ability to hold moisture and nutrients. Add organic amendments, such as compost, vermiculite or peat.

Clay Soil – Your aim is to improve the soil’s drainage and aeration. Add fibrous amendments, such as peat, straw, perlite or wood chips.

0 Comments

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Posts

How Much Mulch Do I Need?

How Much Mulch Do I Need?

It’s important to apply enough mulch to reap the benefits. Learn how to quickly calculate the amount of mulch you need for your space.
How to Test Soil pH

How to Test Soil pH

Here’s how to do a simple soil pH test from items you probably already have in your kitchen. Once you determine whether your soil is acidic or alkaline, we have recommendations for soil amendments that can bring the soil back into the neutral pH range.
Straightforward Tips for Soil Improvement

Straightforward Tips for Soil Improvement

Good soil is essential for healthy plants. If your yard’s soil is less than perfect, you can improve it by digging in fresh materials to make up for what it lacks. But which materials should you add? This article describes seven of the most useful natural soil improvers.

Related Posts

How to Test Soil pH

How to Test Soil pH

The Dirt on Garden Soils

The Dirt on Garden Soils

How to Stop Soil Erosion

How to Stop Soil Erosion

frost map with dates

Frost Map with Dates

USDA zone finder with zip code search and maps

USDA Zone Finder

plant library

Plant Library

Save plants to your personal library

Join My Garden Club to access more features

Already a member?
Log in now

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share this post with your friends!