Soil Texture

The Soil Texture Triangle

Soil texture

• % or amount of sand, silt and clay
• Fineness or coarseness of the soil

Soil Texture

• Mostly mineral matter = 45%
• Different sizes: sand, silt, and clay.
• Sizes directly relate to pore space.
• More sand in a soil = more pore space
• More silt or clay in the soil = less pore space.

Soil Texture

• Sand, silt, and clay, because of their various sizes and pore space, exhibit different characteristics:
• Nutrient Availability - the availability of nutrients in the soil
• Drainage - the ability of the soil to drain
• Water-Holding Capacity - the ability of the soil to hold water
• Aeration - the amount of oxygen available in the soil

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Soil Texture

• High percentage of sand = a lot of pore space >> known for poor nutrient availability and water-holding capacity, but excellent drainage and aeration.
• Please remember...it’s all about pore space!

Soil Texture

• With all of that said, soil texture is the amount of sand, silt, and clay in a soil.
• Every soil has a different soil texture.
• The soil texture triangle can be used to determine what type of soil texture a soil sample has.
• Use information to learn more about their soil’s nutrient availability, drainage, water holding capacity, and aeration.

Soil Texture

• What’s the best soil texture? LOAM!
• Loam (found in the center of the soil texture triangle) is considered to have the “perfect” amount of sand, silt, and clay and therefore performs well when it comes to the above concepts.
• Long story short, most plants would thrive in a loam soil texture!

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Loam