Basic Soil Science Terms

Mary Matava, Agronomist

Soil Composition: A typical soil contains 40%-50% mineral material, 40%-50% pore space which can contain water or air and 0-10% organic matter. Soil Texture: The three textural classes are sand, silt and clay. Sand and silt are solid particles which can be either round or angular. Clay is platy and has layers that can hold water, nutrients, salts and hydrogen. It is also colloidal, which means it can stay suspended indefinitely in solution. Soil Structure: The soil structure is the arrangement of soil particles in the soil profile. There are four basic classes: granular, prismatic, blocky and platy. Soil pH: Soil pH is a measurement of the hydrogen ion concentration in the soil solution. A pH of 7 is neutral, pH readings below 7 are acid and pH readings over 7 are alkaline. Soil pH is expressed as a logarithm (much like the Richter scale for earthquakes) which means that a pH of 6 is 10 times more acid than a pH of 7 and a pH of 5 is 100 times more acid than a pH of 7. Most plants will do well with a pH range of 5.5 to 7.5. Soil Salinity: Electrial conductivity (ECe) is used to measure total salts in the soil solution. The main salts are calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, sulfates, nitrates, bicarbonates and chloride. Sodium and chloride are the salts that are generally damaging to plants. Soil salinity is reported in mmhos/cm or decisiemens/meter. Salt tolerance varies widely among different plant species, however, an ECe of less than 1.5 mmhos/cm is usually suitable for most garden plants. This Link has some vegetable and tree tolerances
Click here: Salt Tolerance of Plants

Fertilizer: Commercial fertilizers are used to supplement the nutrients that plants need to grow successfully, but may not be found in our soils. Soil Amendments Gypsum: Calcium sulfate is used to help reduce the amount of sodium in the soil. Lime: Calcium carbonate is used to help raise the pH of acid soils. Soil Sulfur: Sulfur is used to lower the pH of alkaline soils. It must be used in soils that are biologically active or amended. Organic Matter: Can be naturally in the soil or added with compost. If you desire a complete soil test please visit www.bettersoils.com for more information.