Archive for the ‘Soil’ Category

Types of Soil

Tuesday, March 31st, 2009

soilSandy Soil – Among the types this one has the largest particles. If it contains a lot of organic materials thus, it would be easy to develop. Having this kind of soil in your yard needs a huge amount of water for your your plants to grow healthy. Sandy soil moistens and absorbs more nutrients. And it is good for plants since it permits water to flow into it than be left in the roots and decompose.

Silty Soil – the most fertile among the types. This has a lot of minerals as well such as quartz and other essential organic substance,for healthy growth of plants. Compared to sandy soil, this keeps more moisture and solid. Because of this, it is very much easy to work on with since it has a lot of moisture.

Clay Soil – A very compact type of soil that produces less space to absorb air. It would be very hard to deal with this soil since this could harm the roots within due to less air space and water within will clog.And this needs a huge amount of fertilizer for better growth.

Loamy Soil – This type of soil is perfect for cultivation. The combination of clay sand and silt, known to be the perfect type of soil. Its texture is full of particles and can easily absorb water.

Peaty Soil – This is formed through build ups of decayed organic matters. But the decay of organic matter in the soil is being barred by the presence of acid in the soil. this is formed during humidity. Also, this type of soil is passive to water logging so it should undergo proper fertilization and drainage for proper growth of plants within in it.

Chalky Soil – This soil is naturally alkaline and has huge number of stones. This is not recommended during the season of summer since it is subject to dryness. This requires a lot of water to moisten the soil for the roots to absorb as well as fertilization. Moreover, it hinders the absorption of nutrients for plants to grow.

What type of soil do you have?

Friday, June 13th, 2008

soil

Good soil is essential to a healthy lawn. This is one of the most important element for lawn care. Once grass is established, you can aerate and fertilize it, but actual soil base can’t be reworked. If you carefully prepare the soil layer in the beginning, your lawn can start with a good foundation.

 

Soils come in two basic types: Clay or Sandy. Heavy Soil, called clay or adobe, is easy to recognize but difficult to work with. If you squeeze a handful together, you’ll get a gummy plastic mass that won’t break apart even if you tap it with a shovel. Though clay soil is often rich in nutrients, it contains very little space for air, grass roots may refuse to grow because there is no sufficient supply of oxygen and often they drown because of poor drainage. Clay soils do have an advantage: slow drainage through tiny,compacted particles prevents nutrients from leaching out.

On the other hand, Sandy soil has huge particles that allow good aeration, quick passage of water, and rapid temperature change. Sandy soil provides plenty of air for plant roots, and the roots can spread easily, but here’s the rub: Water will pour right through the soil, taking with it any plant nutrients you’ve applied.