Loam There are different types of soils available in nature. Loam is one among them. Different types of plants prefer to grow in various t...
Loam
There are different types of soils available in nature. Loam is one among them. Different types of plants prefer to grow in various types of soils. However, most of them prefer to thrive in Loam soil. Even if your soil is unsatisfactory, you can fix it and transform it into loam in many ways.
Loam soil and Topsoil
You can find most planting instructions often suggesting to plant in loamy soils. But you should know what is loamy soil in the first place. Loam soil is a balanced, healthy mix of clay, silt, and sand.
Usually, the uppermost 30 cm (12”) of ground soil is called topsoil. It need not be loamy soil. Depending on the location, this soil may contain sand, clay, or silt to the most part. Even if you purchase topsoil, there is no guarantee that it will be loam soil.
Soil Types
Sandy soil – when dry, it is coarse. It will run smoothly in between your fingers when you pick them. When damp, if you make a ball out of this soil, the ball will crumble away. It will not be stable. Naturally, this soil cannot hold water. However, it has plenty of space for oxygen to spread.
Clay soil – when wet, it feels slippery. You can easily create a ball out of it. When dry, the soil is compact and rough.
Silt soil – This soil is a mixture of sand and clay. Hence, it is soft. When wet, you can make a loose ball, neither hard nor crumbling.
Loam
In fact, loam is a proportionate mixture of sand, clay, and silt. It can hold wetness for a shorter period. Then it will start draining at a rate of about 15-30 cm per hour. This soil also contains both minerals and nutrients in enough quantity for most plants.
The plant roots can travel easily through this soil, sucking nutrients and water as needed. Hence plants thrive well in this soil. Rains, watering, etc. are other factors that wash away the soil nutrients. With age, the soil becomes depleted of nutrients and minerals.
Hence, add organic matter like fallen foliage, wooden barks, etc. to the soil every year. This replenishes the soil with the fresh matter. This also caters to plant health and sustainability.
Finding Soil Type
Using a mason jar, you can easily find the type of soil in your garden. Purchase a 1-quart mason jar with a tight-fitting lid. Using a trowel, dig about 8 inches deep in your garden. Collect the soil in a pan. If you have large gardens, collect soils from different areas in your garden, following the same process.
Combine the soils and pour them into a jar about half of its capacity. Then fill the jar with water about three-quarters. Add a teaspoon of liquid dish soap. Close the lid tightly and shake the jar well for at least three minutes.
After that, leave the jar undisturbed for about a day. If your garden contains clayey soil, you may leave the jar undisturbed for about 2 days.
On the third day, check the jar visibly. Generally, heavy materials like gravel or coarse sand will sink to the bottom. Smaller sand particles reside above that. Clay settles on the top.
Some other common results you may expect are:
Sandy soil – a layer of heavy particles settles at the bottom. The water above will have a clear appearance.
Clayey soil – a thin layer of dust particles settles at the bottom. The water above will have a cloudy appearance. Silty soil also has similar results.
Peaty soil – a thin layer of sediment settles at the bottom. The water above will have a murky appearance as a lot of debris floating in it. However, the water will not appear as cloudy as the case with clayey soils. Peat is acidic soil.
Chalky soil – a layer of white fragments settles at the bottom of the jar. The water will have a pale grayish appearance. chalky soil is alkaline soil.
Loam soil - About three distinct layers of soil settle at the bottom of the jar. The bottom layer consists of sand. The middle layer consists of silt and the top layer consists of clay.
if all the three layers are of almost similar size, you have the best loamy soil in your garden. Otherwise, you have to work the soil to make it loamy
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