How to Test Soil for Clay
No two soils are alike. Testing to find out what kind of soil you have is easy. There are three main types of soil, sandy, loam and clay, with infinite combinations of those soils present. To determine the type of soil you have, squeeze a moist, one-inch ball of soil in your hand. Sandy soil will feel gritty and lose. Loam soil is smooth and forms a ball that crumbles easily. Clay soil is smooth and sticky. It won't crumble like loam soil. Determining how much clay you have in your soil requires only a few things found around the house. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Clean 1 qt. jar
- Clean water
- Soil sample (enough to fill 1/3 of the jar)
Instructions
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Fill 2/3 of the jar with clean water.
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2
Break up the soil sample so that it can fit through the mouth of the jar. Add the soil sample to the jar, leaving a half inch of head space at the top of the jar.
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Screw on the jar lid and shake vigorously for a minute or two. All of the soil particles in the jar must be broken down and suspended in the water.
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Set the jar aside for one minute and allow the suspended soil to settle. Place a mark on the side of the jar at the top of the layer that has settled out. This is the sand layer.
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Set the jar aside for an hour, being careful not to mix the sand layer that has already settled. Place another mark on the side of the jar at the top of the next layer to settle out. This is the silt layer.
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Let the jar sit, undisturbed for 24 hours. Do not shake or mix the layers that have settled. After 24 hours, the water should be once again clear (more or less; cloudy water is an indicator of clay ). There may be an organic layer between silt and clay. Organic layers are made up of different materials. Examine the layers to identify the organic layer(s). Mark the organic layers.
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Place a mark on the side of the jar at the top of the final layer. This is the clay layer. The percentage/ratio can be determined by the marks on the jar.
For example: if there were an organic layer and all of the marks for each layer were 1 inch wide, then the soil would be 25 percent (1/4) sand, 25 percent (1/4) silt, 25 percent (1/4) organic and 25 percent (1/4) clay.
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Tips & Warnings
A loam soil is the perfect soil and has equal portions of sand, silt and clay. There will be several layers of soil types in the marked jar. The percentage/ratio of each layer in the jar will let you calculate how much clay you have. At the bottom will be the sand/stone layer, then a silt layer, followed by an organic layer. (The organic layer is important and it can be changed easily.) At the top will be a settling of clay. While soil structure can not be changed easily, clay soils can be improved by adding organic material.
