The top layer of the earth's surface in which plants can grow.

Soils are complex mixtures of minerals, water, air, organic matter, and countless organisms that are the decaying remains of once-living things.

Let’s explore the advantages and disadvantages of each type: Sandy soils, clay soils, silty soils, and loamy soils. Then, we’ll discuss how you can diagnose your soil type using either a soil test or a DIY method.

Sandy Soil: Advantages and Disadvantages

Sandy soils are light and gritty to the touch. Because sandy soils have large particles, they dry out quickly, are often low in nutrients and acidic. Both water and fertilizer have a tendency to leach out of the soil - escaping to waterways before the plant can utilize them.

Advantages of Sandy Soils:

Warms up quickly in the spring

Disadvantages of Sandy Soils

Dries out quickly in the summer

Nutrients and water often leech away especially with rainfall

Often acidic

Managing Sandy Soil

When it comes to sandy soils, apply less water and fewer fertilizers, but more often, to produce the best results. You can also amend your soils with organic matter that will improve the soil’s ability to hold onto nutrients. To improve organic matter, incorporate compost, carbon-rich sources of fertilizers, and materials rich in soil microbes.

Clay Soil: Advantages and Disadvantages

Clay soils are the heaviest of soil types and are often considered the hardest to work with. They hold onto water and often take longer to warm in the spring. Soil compaction and cracking is also a big risk of clay soils. Ultimately this doesn’t just look ugly - but it also keeps plant roots from breaking through hard layers of clay. But, unlike sandy soils, clay soils are rich with nutrients! With clay soils, nutrients are stored for much longer and have a tendency not to leech away.

Advantages of Clay Soils

Clay soils hold onto nutrients so the plant has the food it needs

Great for growing things that need a lot of water

Disadvantages of Clay Soils

Holds onto water, slow to drain

Slow to warm in the spring

Compacts easily

Tends to be alkaline

Managing Clay Soil

Clay soils can be one of the toughest types to manage, but with the right management techniques, you can improve the overall quality of your soil.

When it comes to turf - aerating your soils each fall reduces soil compaction. Utilizing products that are rich in soil microbes will help your soils breakdown nutrients, and build roots that can more easily penetrate tough clay layers.

When it comes to your garden beds or agricultural crops - amend your soils with compost and products rich in soil microbes to improve organic matter. And, avoid compaction by not working on the soil when wet. Lastly, consider using a cover crop during the cool season.

Silty Soil: Advantages and Disadvantages

More fertile than sandy soils, silty soil is the intermediary between sandy and clay soils. Silty soils have a greater tendency than other types to form a crust.

When dry, silty soils feel floury to the touch, but when wet, you can easily form balls in your hand.

Advantages of Silty Soils

Fertile soils that hold onto nutrients better than sandy soils

Better water holding capacity than sandy soils

Easier to work with than clay soils

Disadvantages of Silty Soils

Water filtration can be poor

Has a greater tendency to form a crust

Can become compact and hard

Managing Silty Soil

Avoid working with silty soils when wet to reduce your risk of compaction. Increase the soil organic matter by utilizing compost and soil microbe-rich products.

Loamy Soil: Advantages and Disadvantage

Considered the most fertile of soil type, loamy soils are a combination of sandy, clay and silt particles. The clay and silt particles improve moisture retention while the sand minimizes compaction and improves drainage. Loamy soils don’t get dried out in the summer, but also don’t get water-logged in winter.

Advantages of Loamy Soils

Drought resistant due to water-holding capacity

Faster to warm up in the spring, compared to clay

Can hold nutrients, making soils fertile

Good infiltration of air and water

Disadvantages of Loamy Soils

Depending on how your soil was formed, some loamy soils can contain stones that may affect harvesting of some crops.

Managing Your Loamy Soil

While loamy soils are ideal whether you are growing crops, flowers or turfgrass, all soils need to be managed in order to maintain or improve soil health. Adding products rich in soil microbes is key to promoting a robust soil ecosystem.

Soil Profile

If you dig a hole in your soil, you will notice different layers or horizons of soils. These horizons can differ in texture, structure, color and more. Together, the soil horizons form your soil profile.

The horizon that sits on the surface is the O layer. The two layers below the O layer are the A and B horizons. These layers are known as your true soil and contain most of the chemical and biological activity that helps plants grow.