types of soil

Question 1

clay soil

Answer 1

less than 0.002 mm
poor aeration
good water retention
poor drainage
high mineral ion content
difficult to dig and plough’
difficult for roots to penetrate

Question 2

sandy soils

Answer 2

0.02 - 2.0 mm
good aeration
poor water retention
good drainage
low mineral ion content
easy to dig and plough
easy for roots to penetrate

Question 3

chalky soils

Answer 3

formed from calcareous rock
contain a lot of lime making them alkaline
many wild flowers thrive on it

Question 4

peaty soils

Answer 4

contains an excess of peat formed from organic matter which has only partially decayed due to lack of oxygen
acidic

Question 5

loams

Answer 5

50 sand
30 clay
12 humus
8 lime

Question 6

how to improve clayey soils

Answer 6

add lime humus and sand
reduces acidity improves crumb structure aeration drainage and workability

Question 7

how to improve sandy soils

Answer 7

add humus
minerals and improves water holding capacity
add mulching
minerals and retain moisture

Question 8

how to improve chalky soils

Answer 8

addition of humus

Question 9

how to improve peaty soils

Answer 9

addition of lime