Sandy soil

Sandy Soil is light, warm, dry and tend to be acidic and low in nutrients. Sandy soils are often known as
light soils due to their high proportion of sand and little clay (clay weighs more than sand).

Clay Soil

Clay Soil is a heavy soil type that benefits from high nutrients. Clay soils remain wet and cold in winter
and dry out in summer.

Silt Soil

Silt Soil is a light and moisture retentive soil type with a high fertility rating.

As silt soils compromise of medium sized particles they are well drained and hold moisture well.

As the particles are fine, they can be easily compacted and are prone to washing away with rain.

By adding organic matter, the silt particles can be bound into more stable clumps.

Peat Soil

Peat soil is high in organic matter and retains a large amount of moisture.

This type of soil is very rarely found in a garden and often imported into a garden to provide an optimum
soil base for planting.

Chalk Soil

Chalk soil can be either light or heavy but always highly alkaline due to the calcium carbonate or lime
within its structure.

Loam Soil

Loam soil is a mixture of sand, silt and clay that are combined to avoid the negative effects of each type.

These soils are fertile, easy to work with and provide good drainage. Depending on their predominant
composition they can be either sandy or clay loam.

As the soils are a perfect balance of soil particles, they are considered to be a gardeners best friend, but
still benefit from topping up with additional organic matter.

result. Soil can also be used as building materials such as adobe and red bricks.

Soil covers the surface of the Earth and is a valuable ecosystem. Soil is made up of minerals, nutrients,
water, air, organic matter and microorganisms. Because of its makeup, soil has a variety of uses in a
variety of industries.

Agriculture
Soil has vital nutrients for plants. As a result, it is used in agriculture to nourish plants. The roots of a
plant receive nutrients from the soil to help it grow. The North Carolina Department of Agriculture and
Consumer Services notes that 13 essential plant nutrients come from the soil.

Building

Soil is an important part of the building process. Soil compaction, which increases the density of the soil,
is done as part of the building process. The purpose of the compaction is to improve the load support. If
not done, structural failure can result. Soil can also be used as building materials such as adobe and red
bricks.

Pottery

Clay soil is used in making ceramics, or pottery. When water is added to clay soil, it can be used to create
the ceramics. Once formed, you can leave it to dry and it will retain its shape. Any type of ceramic can be
created with the clay soil, such as a vase, bowl, cup or sculpture.

Medicine

Soil is commonly used in antibiotics. Microbes created in the soil are harmful to bacteria, which is why
soil is used in medicine. Medicines created by soil include skin ointments, tuberculosis drugs and anti-
tumor drugs.

Beauty Products

Some beauty products are made with soil. Commonly used beauty products where used soil is used in
the production include blush and foundation. Soil rich in clay can also be used in facial masks and
toothpastes.

Soil Erosion

Soil erosion is the process by which soil primary particles and aggregates are removed and lost from
their point of origin by wind or water, or even mass wasting from gravitational forces

Causes of soil erosion:

Due to human activities like deforestation, overgrazing, construction and mining, etc.
Natural forces like wind, glacier and water leads to soil erosion.

The running water cuts through clayey soils and makes deep channels as ‘gullies’. The land becomes
unfit for cultivation, this process is called gully erosion and the land is called bad land or ravines in the
Chambal basin.

Sometimes, water flows as a sheet over large areas down a slope. It leads to the washing away of the
top soil. This process is called sheet erosion.

Wind blows loose soil off flat or sloping land, and is called wind erosion.

Soil erosion is also caused due to defective methods of farming.

Effects of Soil Erosion:

1.Pollution and Poor Water Quality

2.Mudslides and Structural Problems

3.Deforestation and Flooding

4.Soil Degradation

Soil Pollution

Soil pollution is defined as the presence of toxic chemicals (pollutants or contaminants) in soil, in high
enough concentrations to pose a risk to human health and/or the ecosystem.

Causes of Soil Pollution:

Soil pollution is mostly caused by mindless human activities such as:

Industrial waste

Industries are by far the worst polluters of the soil with all the chemicals they release into the
environment be it in liquid or solid form.

Deforestation

Clearing of trees leaves soil exposed to the elements so they are easily carried away by soil erosion. This
leaves land barren and incapable of supporting vegetation.

Excessive use of fertilisers and pesticides

The increased demand for food has forced farmers to use fertilisers and pesticides that release nothing
but toxins into the soil, killing useful microorganisms that are important in plant growth.

Garbage pollution
Garbage that cannot be recycled is disposed of carelessly and this is not only an eyesore but pollutes the
land. Some of this waste can literally take thousands of years to decompose!

Effects of Soil Pollution:

Climate change

Deforestation causes a change in the rain cycle and this is a contributing factor to global warming and
loss of ecosystems.

Loss of soil fertility

With the rapid growth of human population, we need all the food we can get. Chemicals used on soils
reduce soil fertility so food production drops.

Impact on human health

Countless deaths have been caused by human beings ingesting foods that are grown in toxic soils.

Soil conservation helps protect the land, prevent erosion and preserve soil nutrients on land that’s being
used for farming. Soil conservation techniques also help minimize the damage that development can do
to surrounding open space.

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4 Types of Soil Conservation

Updated March 08, 2019

By Karen Gardner

Soil conservation helps protect the land, prevent erosion and preserve soil nutrients on land that’s being
used for farming. Soil conservation techniques also help minimize the damage that development can do
to surrounding open space.

Why Soil Conservation?

Good soil conservation helps to put nutrients back into the soil. There are many types of conservation
practices that can help prevent damage to the soil and can even help farms become part of a thriving
ecosystem. Soil conservation treats soil as a living ecosystem.
Inhabitants of that ecosystem all have roles in keeping the soil fertile and healthy by breaking down
organic matter, releasing nutrients and helping create good air and water circulation within the soil.

This happens with good soil conservation techniques like no-till farming and crop rotation. These are
part of the good conservation practices definition.

No-Till Farming

Farming land without tilling, or no-till farming, is something soil conservation professionals recommend.
Tilling farmland after each crop disturbs the soil and reduces the ability of the soil to hold water. No-till
farming means the soil is left alone and the remainder of the last crop decomposes into the soil.

Crop Rotation and Cover Crops

Growing corn year after year in the same field helps deplete the soil of essential nutrients. Rotating any
crop means the field is less likely to be affected by disease because the pathogens and weeds that cause
them don’t build up.

Contour Farming on Hillsides

When farming on a hillside, farmers till and plant along the contour rather than allowing the soil to run
off the hillside. The furrows and rows of plants prevent rainwater from washing soil off the hill into
lower-lying areas and help keep the soil healthier for future crops.

Windbreaks and Stream Buffers

Wind can blow soil off fields, especially freshly planted fields, and bare stream banks. To prevent this,
many farmers plant rows of trees to keep the wind from damaging the soil. Tree roots also help to hold
the soil in place.

Vegetation planted along a stream or riverbank helps hold the soil in place and prevents it from running
off the fields and into the rivers. When soil runs into waterways, it not only carries off nutritious topsoil
but it also depletes the living organisms in that waterway.

Buffers, whether stream or windbreaks, help provide wildlife habitat for small animals, birds and insects.
Forested stream buffers can shade the waterway and make it more friendly for trout, crayfish and other
fragile aquatic life like small stream invertebrates.