Soil is the land which is used for gardening plants. It is made up of particles of sand, silt and clay. These particles have different size and characteristics. In fact, these are the minerals from the rock. Plants get nutrients from these minerals. Some soil types are rich with minerals and some are weak depends on the soil texture.
Combination of these groups declare the soil type. Soft, hard, absorbing and growing quality are the main features which tells the land quality.
Therefore, having best soil texture is good for planting. Each type of land has different characteristics. Before land preparation, gardeners must need to know the soil types. They can also test the land for better planing.
Preparation Guide: “Prepare Soil for Gardening“
Testing Guide: “Soil testing for gardening“
Soil types – Explanation
Sand particles have the largest size among these three groups. But it absorb less water due to size. It is grainy due to large size.
That type of soil is not good for gardening due to less water absorbing quality. It is because of its large size which hold spaces. It is used for few agricultural products which need small quantity of water.
Silt particles are smaller than sand and larger than clay particles. It has some good absorbing characteristic than sand. Its better than sand but not perfect for gardening. Plants can not get required nutrients from land. It is smooth and wet after watering.
Clay particles are the smallest in the size among both above soil types. But the main advantages of this type is that, it absorb the most water. That water remain in land for long time which give water to plants for longer period. That type is sticky to touch when wet. Clay particles are rich with nutrients. Nutrients leads to better growth.
As I have explained all three types but no one is perfect for plants. All have different characteristics. But there is a special soil texture which is best for garden.
There is a simple technique to measure the texture. We need to get the sample soil in a jar and fill with water. After 12 to 20 hours, there will be three layers in the jar. From top to bottom, there will be clay, silt and sand particles.
Complete Guide: “Measuring Soil texture”
Best soil texture for garden
Loamy soil is the mixture of sand, silt and clay. It is rich with nutrients and has good water absorbing quality. The combination of all three groups make the perfect soil texture for planting garden. It is soft to touch. Gardeners mix organic matter of plants and animals with this land to make it perfect for gardening. It has good pH level and nutrients quantity.