Released On 19th Nov 2024
What Type of Soil do I Have?
There are a lot of things that go into a good garden. Depending on who you ask, you’ll get a variety of different answers for what the most important is - planning, balance and plant choice. But any garden expert worth their salt will tell you that it all boils down to one thing - soil. Finding out what type of soil you have should be the very first thing you do when gardening, and knowing it will set you up for success. It will also save you a lot of money - after all you don’t want to spend hundreds of pounds on your garden only to find your plants wilting and dying within a week or two! So, let’s look at what soil actually is, and how to tell what type you have.
What is Soil?
The first thing to remember is that soil, dirt and compost are different things. A lot of people think they’re all kind of the same, but that’s far from true.
Dirt is inert. It’s debris, grit, rock and sand with nothing living in it at all.
Compost is a nutrient-rich material that’s largely made from decomposed plant and animal matter. It’s high in nutrients with a light, airy texture that holds onto water well. It’s very useful for gardening.
Soil is a boiling pot of particles, minerals, living organisms, dead organic matter and bedrock. It’s what creates a living tapestry that’s perfect for plants and wildlife to thrive in.
Loam is the ‘near perfect’ healthy mix of sand, silt and particles - usually in a 40-40-20 ratio. It’s another way of saying soil, but perfectly balanced - which makes it very rare!
What Are the Soil Types?
Soil types vary across the UK, and even per garden, depending on the soil’s history. However, there are, generally speaking, 6 types of soil you can find, each with its own unique properties. They are:
Clay: Clay soil is heavy and wet. It’s cold in the winter and dry in the summer, and it’s one of the most common soil types in the UK. Clay soils are excellent at grabbing water and keeping hold of it, only letting it drain very slowly. They can also be quite fertile, thanks to the minerals from the clay component.
Sandy: This one’s easy – It’s soil that feels like sand! It’s often light, dry and warm, with a gritty texture. This type of soil is generally low in nutrients, very acidic (which isn’t great for some plants) and awful at retaining water.
Silty: This soil is light with fine particles that can feel soft and silky. It’s mainly made up of minerals and fine organic particles that make it very good at keeping hold of moisture. It can be a bit too soft for plants that need a firmer base for their roots.
Loamy: A perfect mixture of clay, sand and silt that avoids the extremes of each type. This type of soil is fertile, easy to work with and provides good drainage. It’s A* grade soil, and generally good for most plants.
Peaty: Soil that’s very high in organic matter and holds onto moisture very well. Peat is a type of soil in its own right, but it’s also an element in other soils. You might find ‘peat-rich compost’ in garden centres, for example.
Chalky: A very alkaline type of soil that can be either light or heavy. Chalk soils are free draining, but it’s a little too good at it. It struggles to hold a lot of water, and so dries out very easily.
As for knowing which type you have, that’s a bit trickier! A professional will be able to assess and even test your soil to give you a definitive answer, but for the most part, you can figure it out by examining and handling it yourself. For example, sandy soil feels gritty and coarse, just like sand at the beach. Clay soil feels slick and smooth if it’s wet, but very hard and tightly compacted when it’s dry. Silty soil will feel smooth and silky, almost like flour.
You can also do something called the ‘ribbon’ test. Roll a small amount of moist soil between your fingers into a ball, and then squeeze it to see if you can form a ribbon. Sandy soil will fall apart easily and won’t form a ribbon. Silty soil forms a short ribbon, but it breaks quickly, while clay soil forms a long, sticky ribbon.
Why Does it Matter?
Simply, because the type of soil you have will inform what you should and shouldn’t plant! The soil’s type will determine how easily it holds onto things like water and nutrients, and how effective it is at moving that around and into plant roots. Some plants will thrive in heavy clay soil, while others will suffocate and die in it. Others will struggle to survive in sandy soil but will bloom beautifully in peat soil. Knowing what soil type you have means you can plan what plants, shrubbery and trees to plant in your garden that will have the best chance at flourishing, and give you the best results.
That’s not to say you can’t have plants that don’t like your soil type - that’s what planters and pots are for! And there are some things you can do to improve your soil quality too, so if you’re struggling to keep your plants happy in your existing soil, you could add in certain things to improve their chances. If you’d like to know more about this, or have one of our team come out and examine your soil, just get in touch with us today and we would be more than happy to help.
