The proportion of sand, silt, and clay in a soil determines its texture. Knowing the texture of a soil is important in managing a farm or garden. For example, a soil made up primarily of clay can easily become very compacted, which can hinder infiltration of rainfall into the soil. Incorporating organic matter into this type of soil will "lighten" it, thereby increasing both water infiltration and oxygen availability to the roots.We wanted to get a rough idea of soil texture in several locations. An easy way to do this is to collect a sample of soil, shake it up in a jar of water, let the soil particles settle out, and then observe the thickness of the resulting layers. Sand is heaviest and will settle first, followed by silt, and then clay. As you can see, our soil is mostly sand. Sandy soils drain well but dry out quickly; mulching helps retain moisture in a sandy soil.
Click here for a more detailed description of using a jar to measure soil texture.
