Observation, Results and Discussion

Observation
Soil Texture by Measurement
Soil
Form Soil

Composition
Sand

Length (cm)
1.7

Silt

13.1

Clay

1.3

Water

16.4

Organic Material
Sand

0.4
10

Silt

1.1

Clay

0.1

Water

20.3

Organic Material
Sand

0.2
6.8

Silt

0.7

Clay

0.4

Water

22.1

Organic Material
Sand

0.0
7.7

Silt

4.5

Clay

0.3

Water

17.3

Organic Material

0.3

Does the soil

Does the soil

Does it feel

Does it feel

Does it feel

remain in a

form a

very gritty?

equally gritty

very smooth?

ball when

ribbon?

squeezed?
Yes

Yes

Riverbank Soil

Beach Soil

Gardening Soil

Soil Texture by Feel

Soil

Farm Soil

and smooth?
No

No

Yes (Form a
weak ribbon

less than 1
before
Beach Soil
Gardening

Yes
Yes

No
Yes

Soil

N/A
Yes(Form a

breaking)
N/A
No

N/A
No

weak ribbon
less than 1
before
breaking)

Soil

Does the soil remain

Is the soil too dry?

Is the soil too wet?

No

No

in a ball when
Riverbank Soil

squeezed?
No

Results
Soil texture by measurement

1.3

100%
90%
80%

0.1
1.1

0.4
0.7

13.1

0.3

4.5

70%
60%
50%
10

40%
30%

Clay
Silt

6.8

Sand

17
7.7

20%
10%
0%
Farm Soil

Riverbank Soil

Beach Soil

Gardening Soil

Soil texture by feel

Farm Soil

Silt Loam

Riverbank Soil

Beach Soil

Gardening Soil

Sand

Loamy Sand

Sandy loam

Discussion
Lets discuss about the soil types that we have that are sand, silt and loam.

Sand
Sandy soil has the largest particles among the different soil types. Its dry and gritty to the
touch, and because the particles have huge spaces between them, it cant hold on to water.
Water drains rapidly, straight through to places where the roots, particularly those of
seedlings, cannot reach. Plants dont have a chance of using the nutrients in sandy soil more
efficiently as theyre swiftly carried away by the runoff.
Weve noted before that sandy soil drains quickly, and as a result, plants arent given enough
time to absorb nutrients. It goes without saying that sandy soil isnt much of a welcoming
media for plant life. Ideal plants to be grown in this type soil are eastern white pine, Japenese
barberry, Siberian pea shrub, flowering quince, perennial flax, Russian sage, Rosemary,
thyme, California poppy, cleome, crape myrtle, and lavender. The upside to sandy soil is that
its light to work with and warms much more quickly in the spring.

Silt
Silt particles are intermediate in size between sand and clay, the other two mineral
components of soil. Silt is nothing more than highly weathered rock, broken down to between
.002 and .05 millimeters in size. The organic matter content of soil tends to be highest in soils
with a high silt concentration.
Silty soil has much smaller particles than sandy soil so its smooth to the touch. When
moistened, its soapy slick. The irregular shape and small size of its soil particles allows for
good aeration. At the same time, it can hold on to water like clay soil but drains better
than sandy soil. Silty soil can also easily compact and can become poorly aerated, too.
It can also store plant nutrients better than clay because of its compactable nature. It is ideal
to grow plants like yellow iris, Japanese iris, weeping willow, bald cypress, red twig
dogwood, river birch, red chokeberry, and American elder.
Loam

It contains a balance of all three soil materialssilt, sand and clayplus humus. It has a
higher pH and calcium levels because of its previous organic matter content. Loam is dark in
color and is mealysoft, dry and crumblyin your hands. It has a tight hold on water and
plant food but it drains well, and air moves freely between soil particles down to the roots.
Sandy loam soils have visible particles of sand mixed into the soil. When sandy loams soils
are compressed, they hold their shape but break apart easily. Sandy loam soils have a high
concentration of sand that gives them a gritty feel. In gardens and lawns, sandy loam soils are
capable of quickly draining excess water but can not hold significant amounts of water or
nutrients for your plants. Plants grown in this type of soil will require more frequent irrigation
and fertilization than soils with a higher concentration of clay and sediment. Sandy loam soils
are often deficient in specific micronutrients and may require additional fertilization to
support healthy plant growth.
Plants that can be grown are beets, onions, leafy vegetables like lettuce, cabbage and
spinach, tomatoes and ornaments plants like Panchito" manzanita (Arctostaphylos x
coloradoensis) and California lilac (Ceanothus spp.).
Although we did not get any clay from our soil sample, but clay is going to be discussed here
for our knowledge.
Clay
Clay soil has the smallest particles among the three so it has good water storage qualities. Its
sticky to the touch when wet, but smooth when dry.
Due to the tiny size of its particles and its tendency to settle together, little air passes through
its spaces. Because its also slower to drain, it has a tighter hold on plant nutrients. Clay soil
is thus rich in plant food for better growth.
Clay soil is cold and in the spring, takes time to warm since the water within also has to warm
up. The downside is that clay soil could be very heavy to work with when it gets dry.
Especially during the summer months, it could turn hard and compact, making it difficult to
turn.

It can be used to grow plants like coffee, balsam fir, boxelder, blue beech, hawthorn, ginkgo
biloba, butternut, apple, lilac, honeysuckle, juniper, witch hazel, daylily, Japanese iris, Indian
grass, Fountain grass.