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How can you test which types of mineral grain your soil is mostly made of?

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How can you test which types of mineral grain your soil is mostly made of?

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Method: feel test
You can test your soil with the feel test. If you have never heard of this before you can watch the video below.

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Step 1: Wet and knead soil Step 2: Can the soil form a ball? Step 3: Does the soil ribbon? Step 4: How long is the soil ribbon? Step 5: Is the soil gritty or smooth? Types of loam Types of clay loam Types of clay

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1. nutrient content: high
2. hydraulic permeability: low
3. void space: small
4. vulnerability for soil compaction: high
5. feeltest: Clay is really plastic and you can role it to a pen

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1. nutrient content: medium
2. hydraulic permeability: medium
3. void space: medium
4. vulnerability for soil compaction: medium
5. feeltest: Silt is a little bit plasic but you can´t role it to a pen

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1. nutrient content: low
2. hydraulic permeability: high
3. void space: big
4. vulnerability for soil compaction: low
5. feeltest: Sand is not plasic and moulders

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This was a lot of information. Let´s make the quiz and test your knowledge...

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As explained above, soil compaction essentially closes the void space in the soil. This means that there is no air left, which is needed by the microorganisms and the roots of your plants. On top of that, it might demolish existing roots. Therefore your plant growth will be reduced.

Furthermore, it might create a layer impermeable to water, especially when the soil has an elevated clay content. This increases the risk of waterlogging.

All these damages can not be undone quickly, they might even be permament. Meaning that it is important to take care of your soil, so that it can take care of your trees.

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Probably the most important factor concerning soil compaction is the water content of the soil. Generally speaking, wet soils have a much higher risk of compacting than dry soils. Imagine a dry piece of paper crumpled into a ball. Even if you apply huge amounts of pressure to it, there will always be at least a little bit of air left in your ball after the pressure is released. But once it gets wet, it looses its structure and you can easily push all the air out of it. The paper is permanently compacted.

However, this does not apply to frozen soils. If the soil is frozen deep enough, it can be treated like a dry soil.

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What are the different types of mineral grain and how are they defined?

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What are the different types of mineral grain and how are they defined?

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An average type of soil contains 45 % of mineral grain. The grains can be classified by their diameter:

1. Sand (2 mm- 0.063 mm)
2. Silt (0.063-0.002 mm)
3. Clay (<0.002 mm)
(4. Loam: It is a mix from sand, Silt and Clay.)
Soil doesn´t consist solely of e.g. sand or clay. The mixture of the different mineral grain types differs between different soil types.

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What are the components in an average type of soil?

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What are the components in an average type of soil?

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A healthy soil is a habitat for microorganisms, animals and plants. One gram of forest soil contains 8.000 different microorganisms. These microorganisms decay leaves and produce new nutrients for trees. A healthy soil stores water and is important for the stability of trees. Furthermore is uncompacted soil the basis for a perfect root penetration and thus stable forests. It is a reservoir for water and nutrients. Therefore it is also important for the timber production.