Soil type is one of the most important parts of gardening, especially if you love your plants, vegetables and blooming floral displays. Soil is one of the most variable components of successful gardening, and the soils composition will have an impact on decisions of what to grow.
New gardeners and people wanting to learn the key types of differing soil could do well to remember the basic descriptions of soil.
let’s take a view on clay soil first Clay soils are called so because they are heavy in clay content, which makes them heavy, sticky and often wetter than other soils. Waterlogged soils are often clay heavy because they do not drain very well. Loosening up clay soil can be achieved by the addition of sand, otherwise it can be hard to work. Well drained clay soil will make vegetation grow superbly due to the remarkable levels of plant nutrients in clay compounds.
Soil with a high sand content is often very easily drained and contains less nutrients due to the easier floe of water through it. The addition of organic matter to sandy soil will enable it to retain moisture and plant nutrients making it a great for growing and easy to work.
Finally, chalky soil is a gardener’s nightmare and if possible it should be avoided if you’re a keen gardener. Soil with a high alkaline chalk content usually contains many stones that often lead to dry soil and it also doesn’t let plants get the nutrients they need.
The main kinds of soil then to look out for are listed here, but you can get others like silty and peaty. With the exception of chalky soil which can make gardening seem worthless because of the extra plant food and organic goodness required, most soil can be put to good use by gardeners.
