Clay is made up of aggregated particles, which are comprised of individual clay platelets.

The space in between the clay particles is called pore space. Pore space allows water and oxygen to travel freely and feed plant roots.

Clay Particle

Clay Platelet

Pore Space

Healthy Soil Chemistry

(clay platelets tightly aggregated)

Negatively Charged Clay Platelet

--------------------Ca++ Ca++ Ca++ Ca++ Mg++Ca++ Ca++

--------------------Negatively Charged Clay Platelet

High SAR Water Applied

(soil structure breaks down over time)

Negatively Charged Clay Platelet

--------------------Na+ Na+ Na
+

Na+ Na+

Na+

Na+

Na+

Na+

Na+

Na+

--------------------Negatively Charged Clay Platelet

 Soil Salinity: Measure of the total salt content of soils; typically measured as electrical conductivity (EC). Sodicity: Measure of the sodium content of soils, relative to the total salts; typically measured as exchangeable sodium percentage (ESP) in the soil itself, or sodium adsorption ratio (SAR) in the soil water.