Академический Документы
Профессиональный Документы
Культура Документы
Particles
The texture of a soil depends on the relative
mixture of sand, silt and clay particles.
The most common method of classifying soils is
based on the percentage clay in the oil.
E.g. Soils that contain 0 5 % clay are known as
sandy soils.
Soil Texture
Gravel
> 2mm
Coarse Sand
~ 2mm
Fine Sand
< 0.2mm
Silt
< 0.02mm
Clay
<0.002mm
Clay
Total
100 =
1
% Clay
Sandy Soils
Have large air holes.
Free Draining soils
Is easy to work with (light)
Dries out quickly
Minerals are easily leached.
Poor soil with little or no nutrients.
Is a warm soil.
Clay Soils
Holds water easily
This protects from leaching of minerals.
Is naturally fertile soil.
Very poor drainage, which can lead to water
logging
Is a cold soil.
Loam Soils
Intermediate characteristics of both clay and
sandy soils.
More advantages and fewer disadvantages than
sandy or clay soils.
A good mixture is 40 % Sand, 40 % Silt and 20 %
clay.
While the nature of soil depends on the particle
composition, the amount of humus in the soil is
also a major factor.