2. What is soil made of?
• Soil is made of sand, silt, and clay.
3. Sand
• The sand in the soil is the largest particle in
the soil.
• If you ever test or feel the texture of soil the
rough part is sand. Sand has sharp edges.
• Sand doesn’t hold many nutrients.
• Their excellence drainage characteristics
make them good for dairy farming.
• Sandy soils are also good for crops like
watermelon, peaches, and peanuts.
4. Silt
• Silt has a size between sand and clay.
• Silt is smooth and powdery.
• Silt is easily transported by water.
• Silt creates rich and fertile soil.
5. Clay
• Clay is the smallest particle.
• Clay is smooth when dry and it is sticky
when it is wet.
• Clay can hold lots of nutrients but does not
let air and water through easily.
• Clay hardens when dry.
• Clay is formed by chemical
weathering of rocks.
6. Particle size
• Particle size has a lot to do with
the soils drainage and nutrient
holding capacity. Here is a
picture to better help you
understand the sizes of the
three particles.
7. Graph
• This graph can help
us figure out what
kind of soil we live in.
• Example: if you have
50% sand and
30%clay you would
have sandy clay loam.
