Understanding your garden soil is a very critical aspect of success in gardening. It would help if you embarked on a journey of testing your soil to understand it better.
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This is considered the best way of knowing your type of soil. It is also the right way of knowing how to amend the soil for greater success in your garden.
How to identify your garden soil type
It is not easy for gardeners to understand the different types of soils. Experts have used different tests to help gardeners understand these soils.
As a gardener, you should use these tests and learn how best they can be used in gardening.
There are three main tests that you can do to identify the type of your soil. Among these include Squish Test, Ball Test, and Jar Test.
- Squish Test
The squish test is one of the easy tests that can work for beginners. It only involves taking small bits of wet soil and squishing them. Sandy soil is the easiest to identify, given that it has a gritty feeling on the hand.
On the other hand, the clay soil is sticky on the hand when squished. It also has a smooth feeling and is easy to squish. This means that a beginner can easily do the test. It is the most common for many gardeners.
- Ball Test
The other best method to test soil is the ball test. This is, however, only great for testing clay soils.
The method involves mixing some soil in the hand and adding some water. The soil is then rolled into a ball using the hand. The main goal is to test whether the soil is easy to roll into a ball.
When the soil is easy to call, it means you have more of the clay. Sandy soils cannot be rolled into a ball. This is because the soil cannot hold enough moisture. The sandy soil usually breaks easily into smaller chunks when you try to roll it into a ball.
The loam soil is also easy to roll into a ball. But it cannot be equally flattened when left to sit for a few minutes like it is with the clay soil. It may be difficult to differentiate the loam from the clay soil by using the ball test.
- Jar Test
The jar test is also common for gardeners who are beginners. But it requires more effort compared to other tests.
It is considered one of the science experiments in schools for kids. The method involves collecting and mixing soil on a flat surface. The soil should be left to dry.
The next step is to take a small amount of soil and place it in a jar. The test must involve adding some water and liquid dish soap to the jar. Then stir the jar and shake it vigorously to mix the contents.
Once this is done, you must rest the jar for some time. This is to ensure that the mixture settles in layers. Giving the mixture up to twenty-four hours to settle is considered appropriate.
Remember to take enough time to ensure the layers settle before checking on the mixture.
Sandy soil is usually at the bottom layer of the mixture. The top part of the mixture is usually clay. This means that you can easily identify the type of soil you have by looking at the biggest layer of the mixture.
Types of garden soils and what to grow in them
Before growing plants, it is important to understand your garden soil. This can help to know which plants can do well in each soil.
Different types of soil can support a variety of plants. There are three main types of soil that you should be aware of when gardening. This includes the loam, clay, and sandy soils.
- Clay Soil
Clay soils are among the common types found in many gardens. This soil has fine particles that hold water well. However, it is a soil that can easily become highly compacted.
That is why it should be effectively managed to prevent any cases of hard-to-dig soils. There are a variety of plants that can do well in clay soils. This is especially true for plants that require huge moisture content.
Ideal plants to grow in clay soils
Among the plants that do well in clay soils include perennials and shrubs. However, the vegetables cannot grow well in such soils. This is because they do not have strong roots like the shrubs that penetrate compacted soils better.
The shrubs also do not require much nutrients compared to the vegetables. The shrubs only require enough moisture that is well retained in clay soils. This means that clay soil can adequately support their growth all season.
- Chalk Soil
There is also the chalky soil that gardeners need to understand when considering what to plant in a garden. These are larger-grained soils that support free draining. The soil also has more alkaline content than other soil types.
This means that the chalky soil cannot support the growth of some plants that do not do well in alkaline soils. The chalky soil is known to drain easily. This is why it needs to be watered regularly.
Ideal plants to grow in chalk soils
There are a few varieties of plants that can do well in alkaline soils. Among these plants include shrubs and trees.
Mock oranges, weigela, and the Madonna lilies have been known to do well in areas with chalky soils. These soils cannot support plants such as vegetables.
- Peat soil
Another unique type of soil is the peaty soil. This type of soil has higher levels of peat. This makes the soils spongy and more acidic.
This means that the soil is unsuitable for plants that do not do well in high acidity levels. The soil is also known to have fewer nutrients.
Another major feature of the peaty soil is the darker colors. The soil is also known to heat up quickly and retain much water. This means that it does not support plants that wither in soggy soils.
Ideal plants to grow in peat soils
The shrubs are among the plants that can survive in almost all soils, including peat soil. Among the main varieties that thrive in peat soils include camellia, azalea and lantern trees.
It is important to know that peat soils do not do well in peat soils. The only exemption is in cases where the soils are well-drained.
- Silt soil
Some gardens have silt soil. These soils are known for their large particles. They are soils that do not retain water easily. This means that they also lose nutrients easily due to erosion.
Ideal plants to grow in silt soil
Among the plants that can do well in silty soils include shrubs and a variety of trees.
The New Zealand flax and Mahonia have survived in these areas with silty soils. It is important to avoid planting vegetables or other plants that require a lot of moisture in silty soils. They easily wither and die.
- Sandy soil
Sandy soils are among the most common types of soils in many gardens. These soils also have large particles. They are not very good at holding nutrients and water. This is because they drain water fast. This means that sandy soils are not very good for many types of plants.
Ideal plants to grow in sandy soils
Only shrubs and sometimes of draught resistance trees do well in sandy soils. The hibiscus and the tulips are among the plants that survive in areas with sandy soils. Crops such as vegetables cannot thrive in these soils unless amended.
- Loamy Soil
One of the best soils that support almost all types of plants is the loamy soil. This is considered the soil type that has a mixture of all qualities of the different soils.
The soil has high nutrient content and can hold water. The loamy soil is also easy to cultivate compared to all the other types of soil.
Ideal plants to grow in loamy soils
Almost all types of plants can thrive in loamy soils. But the most common types of plants that do well are the vegetables.
This is because they require well-moistened soils all season. They are also highly productive because the loamy soils can be easily amended to add nutrients.
The loamy soils also support many living organisms. This is to the advantage of many plants that require aeration. The soil also supports the easy decomposition of materials. This means that it can support both plant and animal life.
How to make the most of your garden soil
Whatever the soil types, you can always make the best of the garden. The main goal should be to understand your soil type.
Then it would help if you worked towards understanding how to amend these soils. Getting the best out of the soil leads to improved plant life.
One way to get the most from your garden is to manage the acidity levels. Highly acidic soils do not support plant life.
It is important to identify the different ways through which soil acidity can be reduced. This is considered great for retaining important nutrients in the soil.
It is also important to always keep the soil garden moist. This helps in reducing the level of compactness. It also supports improved aeration of the soil.
The general view is that amending the soil is the best way of making the most out of the garden. Gardeners should look for more information on how to amend the different types of soils.