There are 6 basic types of garden soil and many landscapes have a blend of all of them. All plants have specific soil preferences and can be amended by adding other soil types to develop optimal growing conditions. Soil types are measured on a spectrum, so it’s important to understand the general characteristics.
Garden soil is a complex mixture of mineral particles, organic material, moisture, living organisms, and chemical nutrients. Among the most critical factors in a soil’s ability to grow plants is its texture, dictated by the size of the mineral particles found in it. Each soil type will affect water and nutrient retention. Soil quality affects root growth, nutrient absorption, moisture control and growth among others.
Here is a general guide to the types of soil found in your garden or landscape. Before making any adjustments I recommend that you test your soil. I like to use the Mosser Lee Soil Test Kit. Remember, test don’t guess. This is a
6 Types of Soil found in your Garden
Clay Soil
Clay Soil is comprised of fine sticky minerals. Clay soil tends to hold water longer, warm slower, and be more compact hindering root growth for some plants. Clay soil is great for many trees and shrubs, but you’ll find that most bulbs, vegetables and flowering plants aren’t happy in clay soils.
You can identify clay soil easily by the way it clumps. You’ll notice that because it is fine and sticky that when wet, it turns into a goopy solid mess that sticks to your shoes. Luckily Clay Soil is easy to amend with sand and other organic matter. It’s best to amend entire clay areas at a time instead of working section by section.
Clay soils is one of the worst soils for foundations, but it’s inexpensive and commonly used in a pinch especially on older homes. If you find clay soil near your foundation then it might be a great idea to pause any long-term gardening plans in that area or to only use plants that are easy to move or transplant until you know that you don’t need to remove the backfill.
Sandy Soil
Sandy Soil is comprised of large corse particles. Sandy soil drains and can erode quickly as it is basically eroded rock. You would think that it is rich in minerals because of this but because the particles are so big, water tends to drain quickly with water and plants have a hard time absorbing the nutrients they need.
Silty Soil
Silty soil is smaller than sand and larger than clay. Silty Soil is known to have much smaller particles compared to sandy soil, is made up of rock and other mineral particles. It is the smooth and fine quality of the soil that holds water better than sand. Silty soil is often found near watersheds and tends to be rich in nutrients.
Peaty Soils
Peaty Soils are highly complex organic materials sought for their ability to hold water and nutrients. We DO NOT RECOMMEND ADDING PEAT to your soil. We promote peat free gardening. Peat soils contain an estimated 40% of the worlds soil carbon which is released during the harvesting process. Peat bogs can store large amounts of greenhouse gasses essentially filtering our air and storing carbon. This compromises our environment and destroys precious ecological resources. Peat bogs are thousands of years old and not something that can be sustainably harvested.
Long-fibered Sphagnum moss is perfect Peat Soil alternative. Peat is decomposed wetland vegetation primarily mosses including the long-fibered sphagnum moss, shrubs and various plants. Mosser Lee’s Organic Long-Fibered Sphagnum Moss is sustainably harvested in Wisconsin. Long-Fibered Sphagnum Moss absorbs and retains 20 times it’s weight in water. It is spongy and great for working into compact soils. Long-Fibered Sphagnum Moss has organic and antiseptic properties, reducing the presence of harmful bacteria. Milled Long Fibered Sphagnum Moss is a great peat free seed starting alternative.
Chalky Soil
Chalky Soil is often rocky and compact and identified by it’s alkaline properties. Chalky soils are fertile but due to the alkalinity plants often find difficulty absorbing the minerals. Chalky soils drain well but plants often have difficulty retaining water. Chalky soils often look like soft rocks that break apart easily and often light in color.
Loamy Soil
Loamy Soil is often considered to be the perfect soil. Loamy soil is 40% sand, 40% silt and 20% clay. This soil drains well, is easy to work with and is rich in organic material.
I know my Soil Type now what?
Now that you are familiar with the soil types that you are working with you can easily identify the strengths in your garden and which plants are more likely to thrive. You can also amend your soil to tweak the needs of your favorite plants.
For instance, I love Lavender and planting herbs next to my walkways. My walkways are lined with a garden soil mix for colorful annuals but Lavender likes sandy soil with good drainage, totally opposite from my annuals who demand to be soaked at least once day. So what’s a girl to do right?
Knowing what I know about soil, I have several options, I can plant my lavender elsewhere (nope), I can amend the soil for more favorable soil conditions (nope), or I can choose to move my lavender into protected containers where I can more easily adjust the soil conditions without having to sacrifice my colorful annuals. The answer to me is obvious.
I’d love to hear your ideas and see your examples of how you control your soil conditions. Make sure to follow me on Instagram @glitterglue_and_ducttape, on Facebook @glitterglueandducttape, and on Youtube @Glitter Glue and Duct Tape.
Gwen Bautista is the author of the blog Glitter Glue & Duct Tape. Gwen is a retired Dog Trainer and the current Social Media Manager for MaryMaxim.com. When Gwen isn’t knitting, chasing her kids, or playing with her pups, she can be found in the garden in her favorite overalls and flip flops.
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