TESTING SOIL TYPES - Two Soil Test You Can Do To Determine What Soil Type You Have
Summary
TLDRThis video tutorial introduces viewers to the concept of soil texture and its importance for gardening. It outlines two methods to determine soil composition: a quick test using hand manipulation to assess soil's ability to form a ball and a ribbon, indicating the presence of sand, silt, or clay; and a more detailed jar test that involves settling soil particles in water to visually differentiate layers of sand, silt, and clay. The video promises an infographic and a calculator tool for further assistance, encouraging viewers to engage with the content and subscribe for more gardening tips.
Takeaways
- đ± Soil texture is a classification that helps determine the percentage of clay, silt, and sand in the soil, which is crucial for understanding soil fertility.
- đ§ A well-balanced soil type, known as loam, retains nutrients and water effectively while allowing excess water to drain, ideally composed of 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay.
- đ The video introduces two methods to determine soil texture: a quick test using basic manipulation and a more detailed jar test for a more accurate analysis.
- đ€Č The quick test involves feeling the soil's texture when wet and trying to form a ribbon from it; the length of the ribbon indicates the soil's clay content.
- đïž The jar test requires a cylindrical jar, water, and soil samples from the garden, which are mixed and left to settle to observe thećć± of different soil particles.
- đ The settling process in the jar test takes time, with sand settling first, followed by silt, and finally clay, which takes the longest due to its smallest particle size.
- đ The height of the layers in the jar test can be measured to determine the percentage of sand, silt, and clay in the soil, providing a quantitative assessment of soil texture.
- đ The video provides an infographic and a calculator in the description to help viewers interpret their soil texture results and understand their soil better.
- đ ïž Amending soil involves adjusting its texture to improve fertility, which can be guided by the results from the soil texture tests described in the video.
- đż The host shares their personal experience with soil amendment and invites viewers to comment on the results, fostering a community of gardeners exchanging tips and experiences.
Q & A
What is soil texture?
-Soil texture is a classification that helps you understand the percentage of clay, silt, and sand in your soil. It's important for determining the fertility and water retention capabilities of the soil.
Why is loam considered a good soil type?
-Loam is considered a good soil type because it retains nutrients and water well while still allowing excess water to drain away, making it ideal for plant growth.
What is the ideal composition of a loam soil?
-The ideal composition of loam soil is 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay.
How can you perform a simple soil texture test without any tools?
-You can perform a simple soil texture test by collecting soil samples, wetting them, and kneading until it feels like play-doh. Then, roll it into a ball to see how easily it forms and holds its shape.
What does the feel of the soil in your hand indicate during the texture test?
-The feel of the soil in your hand can indicate the presence of stone particles and whether it feels like sugar, sand, or flour, which helps in determining the soil texture.
How does the ribbon test help in determining soil texture?
-The ribbon test involves rolling wet soil into a ribbon and letting it fall from your hand. The length of the ribbon before it breaks indicates the soil's texture, with a shorter ribbon suggesting more clay content.
What is the jar soil test and how does it work?
-The jar soil test is a method where you mix soil with water in a cylindrical jar, shake it, and let it settle. The layers that form after settling indicate the soil's composition, with sand at the bottom and clay at the top.
How long does it usually take for the soil layers to settle in the jar test?
-It usually takes a few seconds for the sand layer to settle, an hour for the silt layer, and overnight for the clay layer to settle completely.
How can you determine the percentage of each soil particle in the jar test?
-You can determine the percentage of each soil particle in the jar test by measuring the height of each layer and dividing it by the total height of the layers combined.
What are some ways to improve soil texture if it's not ideal?
-Improving soil texture can involve adding organic matter, such as compost, to increase fertility, or amending with sand or clay to adjust the balance of soil particles.
What is the purpose of the infographic mentioned in the script?
-The infographic is meant to guide viewers in determining their soil texture based on the observations and tests conducted, helping them understand and potentially amend their soil for better gardening results.
Outlines
đ± Understanding Soil Texture for Gardening
This paragraph introduces the concept of soil texture, emphasizing its importance for garden fertility. It explains that soil texture is a classification system that helps gardeners understand the proportion of clay, silt, and sand in their soil. The ideal soil type mentioned is loam, which is a balanced mix of sand, silt, and clay particles, and is known for its ability to retain nutrients and water while allowing excess water to drain. The paragraph outlines two methods for determining soil texture: a quick test using only the gardener's hands and a more accurate test using a jar. The quick test involves collecting soil samples, wetting and kneading them, and observing their behavior when rolled into a ball and when made into a ribbon. The paragraph concludes with an invitation to watch the video for a demonstration of the more accurate jar test.
đč Engaging with Gardening Content
The second paragraph serves as a call to action for viewers to engage with the content. It invites viewers to leave comments if they wish to learn more about gardening, encourages them to subscribe for more informative videos, and prompts them to like the video if they found it helpful. The speaker also sets an expectation for the next video by announcing that it will be released the following Thursday, continuing the theme of gardening.
Mindmap
Keywords
đĄSoil Texture
đĄClay
đĄSilt
đĄSand
đĄLoam
đĄSoil Sample
đĄRibbon Test
đĄJar Test
đĄOrganic Material
đĄAeration
đĄDrainage
Highlights
Soil texture is a classification that helps determine the percentage of clay, silt, and sand in soil.
Loam soil is considered ideal for gardening as it retains nutrients and water well.
A good loam soil composition ideally consists of 40% sand, 40% silt, and 20% clay.
The fastest soil texture test can be done without any tools in the garden.
To test soil texture, wet the soil and knead it until it feels like play-doh, then roll it into a ball.
Sandy soil can form a ball, but the presence of silt and clay makes the ball formation easier.
The second part of the test involves wetting a small amount of soil in the palm of your hand.
Feeling the soil particles can give clues about the soil texture, such as sugar, sand, or flour.
Making a ribbon from the soil and observing its breaking point can indicate soil texture.
A shorter ribbon indicates a higher clay content in the soil.
An infographic is provided in the description to help determine soil texture based on observations.
The jar soil test is a more accurate method that requires a cylindrical jar, water, and soil from the garden.
The jar test involves mixing soil with water and observing the settling of different soil particles.
Layers in the jar test indicate the presence of sand, silt, and clay in the soil.
Measuring the height of each layer in the jar can help determine the percentage of each soil particle.
A simple calculator is provided to help with the calculations of soil texture from the jar test.
Before and after shots of soil texture are shared to show the effectiveness of soil amendment.
The video encourages viewers to subscribe for more gardening information and to like the video.
The video promises another informative video about gardening in the next week.
Transcripts
in this video I will explain you what
soil texture is and how you can
determine soil texture in the garden so
stick around to see two simple methods
that will let you know what type of soil
you have so let's get started to make it
short soil texture is a soil
classification to make you know what
percentage of clay silt and sand you
have in your soil and to have a good
fertile soil you need to have long as a
soil type this type of soil is good
because it retains nutrients and water
well while still allowing excess water
to drain away the soil texture of loam
is composed mostly by scent and seal
particles in a little bit of clay
ideally you would like to have 40
percent of scent 40 percent of silt and
20 percent of clay and how do you know
what you have and how to amend it I will
tell you right away
first I will tell you the fastest test
that you can do without any tool in your
garden but if you want to do a more
accurate test follow me until the end to
see it in action
you begin by collecting some soil
samples from your garden
I collected three soil types to better
show you the difference
the first sample was from the compost
pile I used to mint my clay soil as you
can see it's fluffy and loose and it has
some small rocks inside your first step
is to wet your soil if it's not already
wet and knead it until it feels like
play-doh then rolled into a ball if the
soil is sandy the ball can be formed but
if the soil has the right amount of silt
and clay the ball can be easily formed
as you can see all my three types of
soil perform almost the same
next you take a small amount of soil and
wet it in the palm of your hand the
second sample for my test was from the
topsoil as you can see the soil is
almost silk smooth from digging the soil
up also the soil is stickier to the
touch when you're dissolving the soil in
your hand fill for stone particles does
it feel like sugar sand or flour try to
remember all these feelings and
observations that you have the first
part of the test is to make a ribbon
from the soil read it into a bowl
my last sample was from 2 feet under the
topsoil I know that there is a clay
layer there as you can see the soil is
looking like a piece of metal it's
sticky and gray so we're needing the
soil in your hand try to make a ribbon
out of it and let it fall from your hand
when you see that the soil is breaking
let it the length of the ribbon will
tell you the third clue in determining
your soil texture the shorter the ribbon
the more center is as you can see from
my clay soil test the ribbon didn't even
break
and now that you have all the clues you
can determine what soil type you have I
will leave you an infographic in the
description so you can follow it and
determine your soil texture
so let's go to the second test to
determine your soil texture that takes
more time but in my opinion is simple to
make and can give you a great result
maybe already heard about it the jar
soil test
all you need is a cylindrical jar and
some water and of course the soil from
your garden
the first step is to dig a good amount
of soil from your garden
preferably from a few different spots
and mix it together then add the soil to
the jar and fill it with water but leave
an inter soft air inside
now mix the Jarvik ously so all the soil
didn't mix well and then let it sit so
the soil parts can settle down the same
that has the biggest particles and thus
is the heavier falls first usually it
takes a few seconds to see the sand
layer after an hour so the sills their
peers because it's lighter than sin but
heavier than clay clay usually takes
longer so let it overnight to settle the
next day my jar had five layers the top
layer is the organic material floating
on the top of the water solution layer
at the bottom are the three most
important layers in determining your
soil texture from the top is the clay
then silt and sand layer to know what
percentage of each you have you simply
measure the head of the one and divide
by the head of the free combined or you
can use a simple calculator that I will
leave in the description down below here
are some before and after shots of my
soil texture what do you think did I
made a good job in amending my soil
leave me a comment down below to let me
know if you want to know more about
gardening make sure to subscribe and if
you liked the video press the like
button like always I will see you next
Thursday with another informative video
about gardening see you next week
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