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All About Soil. All About Soil. Soil can basically be separated into 5 main parts: Humus Clay Silt Sand Gravel.
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All About Soil All About Soil
Soil can basically be separated into 5 main parts: • Humus • Clay • Silt • Sand • Gravel
Humus: A dark, moist soil composed of bits of dead, rotting insects, animals, leaves, roots, sticks, and food. Humus adds nutrients to the soil which plants need to grow and live.
Clay: A soil that holds water. When wet, clay feels slippery and slimy. It is made of particles that are smaller than 0.004 millimeters.
Silt: Soil that looks like fine grains or tiny pieces of rock. Particles classified as silt measure from 0.004 millimeters to 0.006 millimeters.
Sand: Soil that is coarse and drains quickly. Sand particles measure from about 0.006 millimeters to 2.00 millimeters.
Gravel: Visible rock particles, sometimes referred to as pebbles.
What is a Soil Profile? • A soil profile is a view of a cross section of soil.
Characteristics of the Soil Horizons • 0 Horizon-located on surface, mostly O.M. • A Horizon-Called Topsoil, good amounts of O.M. and minerals. • B Horizon- Known as Subsoil, Less O.M. • C Horizon- Mostly parent material, does little for plant growth.
What is soil texture • It is the relative sizes of the different soil particles.
The major Soil Texture Classes • Sand-largest particle • Silt-medium size particle • Clay-smallest particle
What is Soil Structure? • Sand, silt and clay particles combine with one anther to form cluster calledaggregates. • The way in which aggregates or clusters are arranged is referred to as soil structure.