How Is Soil Texture Determined?

Squeeze Test

• 1

  Collect a soil sample roughly the size of a small egg. Use a spray bottle to moisten the soil, working it in your hand until the soil sample feels consistently moist.

• 2

  Squeeze the soil sample into a ball. If the soil will not stay in a ball, you have sandy soil.

• 3

  Squeeze the ball of soil as hard as you can in your hand. Observe if the soil sample feels sticky to the touch. Pinch the soil between your fingers and try to stretch it into a ribbon. Clay soils form into a hard ball, feel sticky to the touch and will form a ribbon 2 or more inches in length. Silt soils are less hard to squeeze and feel slightly sticky. Pulled into a ribbon, they will stretch between 1 and 2 inches. Loam soils form into a soft mass, do not feel sticky and will form a ribbon 1 inch or less. Once you identify the primary texture of your soil -- sand, silt, clay or loam -- you'll next add any further descriptions.

• 4

  Rub a small amount of moistened soil into the palm of your hand. If the soil feels very gritty, add the word "sandy" to the texture you identified in the previous step. If the soil feels very smooth, add the word "silty." If the soil feels only slightly gritty, you don't need to add any additional words at all.

Shake Test

• 5

  Spread a soil sample on a piece of newspaper and allow it to dry. Break up any clods and remove any roots, rocks or other debris.

• 6

  Fill a quart jar one-quarter full of soil.

• 7

  Add water until the jar is three-quarters full. Add 1 tsp. of powdered dish detergent.

• 8

  Seal and shake the jar for 10 to 15 minutes to break up any clumps of soil and separate out the individual particles.

• 9

  Set the jar down and wait for one minute. After one minute, use a permanent marker or wax pencil to mark the level of any soil that settles at the bottom of the jar. This is the percentage of sand.

• 10

  Mark the level of sediment at the bottom of the jar after two hours. This is the percentage of silt.

• 11

  Mark the level of sediment after the water clears entirely. This may take as little as one day or as long as several weeks. The third mark shows the amount of clay in the soil.

• 12

  Measure the thickness of the three layers to determine the amount of clay, silt and sand in your soil.