Types of Soils - Composition & Texture

All soils are composed of a mixture of Clay, silt and sand... Your exact soil
composition will most likely be described as a mixture of two or more of these
components. Soil is a mixture of air, water and soil particles. For best growth of your
grass this mixture must be the right balance. The texture of your soil is determined
by the mix of the three basic soil components:
Sand - Soils with particle sizes ranging from 2.0 to .05 mm.
Silt (limo)- Soils with particle sizes ranging from .05 to .002 mm.
Clay (arcilla): Soils with particles sizes smaller than .002 mm.
Loam (marga)- Loam is the ideal soil mixture, consisting of 40% Sand, 40% Silt and
20% Clay. A loam soil will seem crumbly, in comparison to a clay soil that is very
tight. The best soils for grasses are loamy soils with a 40-60% sand component, a
20-30% clay and a 20-30% silt component.
Organic Matter - Organic matter is plant and animal residues, soil organisms
(microscopic), and living plant roots. Organic soil also includes humus matter which
is highly decomposed organic material. Good lawn soils should have at lest 2% of
organic soils. Organic soil matter helps your plants by supplying usable nutrients and
nitrates for growth. Organic matter also helps in establishing a soil with various
crumb sizes (composed of 3 types of soil) of 1 to 3 mm. This is the best soil
structure in which air, nutrients and water can grow healthy grasses.

Types
Soil is the life support of all plants and is normally classified either as clay,
sand, or silt. The type of soil varies from place to place and is mostly
dependent upon the climate and weather, as different types of stresses create
different types of soil. Affecting factors include the amount of rain received,
wind, terrain, as well as plant and animal life.

Clay
The fine-textured, stiff, and sticky soil is called clay. When wet, it can be
molded into any shape and can be used to make bricks, pottery, and
ceramics---clay is often used by many people in poorer regions of the world to
create homes.
Clay retains water more easily and is good for plants. This ability to retain
water also provides a double-edged sword because it cannot drain water easily.
This causes problems with the roots rotting. Clay also tends to be heavy and
compact when dry, restricting plant growth.

Sand
Sand soil is dusty and coarse to the touch and is the type of soil that people

normally associate as dirt or soil. Sand is easy to handle because it dries

quickly. It can be difficult to grow plants in sand because it is unable to retain
water and nutrients well. It is also easily carried by the wind, causing soil
erosion, which can also make it difficult for plants to grow---especially in windy
areas.

Silt
Silt is finer than sand. It is smooth, but can still feel gritty. It holds more
nutrients for plants than other types of soils, but erodes quickly. The lightest
among the three soil types, it is also easily carried by the wind in dust form and
washes out easily in areas with excess water.
1 amount of sunlight
2 availability of water
3 availability of air
4 availability of nutrients
Soil is responsible for points 2, 3 and 4