Knowing your soil’s texture can help in many ways, including choosing the right plant for your soil. The type of soil you have can help determine which plants will be best suited to the area which will help increase their survival rates. To further increase survival rates consider using Water$ave Medium.

The 3 main soil types are loam, clay & sand; Refer to ’What is your soil type’. Texture refers to the content of particles of various sizes in the soil. How soil can be worked, the rate water enters & moves through the soil, & the amount of air & water it will hold will vary depending on its texture.

 

Mason Jar Test

Find out your soil texture with the mason jar test. You will need:

1 x Mason Jar with lid                    
Water
Soil from testing area
Dishwashing Liquid

  1. Dig approximately 20cm down in your testing area & half fill the jar with the soil
  2. Add water until the jar is 3 quarters full then add a teaspoon of dishwashing liquid
  3. Put lid on jar & shake for a minimum of 3 minutes
  4. Set jar down & leave for 48 hours
  5. Read the results

Clay – Water will be cloudy with a thin layer of dirt on the bottom. Soil which is silty may also return this result.

Peat – Water will be cloudy with debris floating on the top. A small amount of sediment will be on the bottom.

Chalky – Water will be pale grey with a white layer of gritty particles on the bottom.

Sandy – Water will be nearly clear. Sandy particles will sink & form a layer on the bottom.

Loam – Water will be clear with fine particles on top & sediment on the bottom.

 

Water$ave Medium is perfect for the enthusiastic home gardener. It can be added to garden beds, pot plants & used when laying or seeding new turf. The polymer particles absorb water, & then make this water available to the root system over a prolonged period of time. This means you will be saving time & water by watering less. Buy Now!

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