 Estimating Soil Texture |
If you haven't a clue as to what type of soil you have, there is a simple hand testing method.
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Take a small hand full of soil
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Make sure the soil is reasonably moist
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Form a small spherical mass just with one hand
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Work the soil by pushing part of that sphere between your thumb and forefinger.
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This process should form a ribbon . The ribbon should be long enough to measure with a small ruler.
Various soil textures are simplified into the following categories based on the length of the ribbon .
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| Soil Texture |
Ribbon length - inches |
Ribbon length - mm |
| Sand |
0 - 1/2 |
0-15 |
| Sandy loam |
1/2 - 1.0 |
15-25 |
| Loam |
1.0 |
25 |
| Clay loam |
1.0 - 1.5 |
25-40 |
| Clay |
2.0 + |
50+ |
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