Soil Texture Flashcards
What is soil texture?
The ‘feel’ of a soil and the proportions of sand silt and clay in a soil
What are the 3 groups which define soil texture?
Sand, silt and clay
What is a loam?
It is the ideal mix of sand silt and clay and is the ideal growing soil.
What is a field texture assessment?
It’s a test based on the ‘feel’ of a soil.
What is organic matter?
Plant and animal residues.
What are the main soil components?
Sand, Silt, Clay
What is a particle size analysis?
It produced accurate figures for the amounts of sand silt and clay in a soil.
5 properties of a sandy soil:
good drainage, low water holding ability, poor supplier of nutrients, highly aerated, easy to cultivate
5 properties of a clay soil
Slow air and water movement, can become waterlogged, high in nutrients, difficult to cultivate, prone to compaction.
