Orchard Soil Testing: Texture – Week 8 Culinary Camp
Testing the texture of your soil is an important process to determining the ideal
environment for the growth of your plants. Though different plants thrive in varying
environments, a common ideal soil texture for an orchard would be well drained loam. This
texture is likely to provide soil that is rich in nutrients for the plant and allows for the passage of
plenty of water oxygen and sunlight to the plant.
Definition of various soil textures:
Sand, loamy sand- coarse to very coarse, feels gritty and doesn't ribbon or leave smear on hand
Sandy loam- somewhat coarse, leaves a smear, feels gritty, doesn't ribbon, breaks into small
pieces
Silt loam- medium, smooth and flour like, breaks into pieces less than 1/2 inch long
Clay loam- moderately fine, forms ribbon about 3/4 in long
Clay- fine, forms long, pliable ribbon more than 2 inches long
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/MG4
http://www.teara.govt.nz/en/photograph/17245/drip-irrigation
Below is a flow chart detailing the method for testing soil texture:
Flow Chart: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/edu/?cid=nrcs142p2_054311
Testing for soil is fairly simple with few supplies needed. I tested the soil of the orchard's in
Saint Louis University's gardens. Below are the results.
Row 1
Row 2
Row 3
Row 4
Row 5
Row 6
Row 7
Forms ball
when wet
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Yes
Ribbon when
pinched
>5 cm
<2.5 cm
>5 cm
> 5cm
<2.5 cm
>5 cm
> 2.5-5 cm
Gritty or
Smooth
Smooth
Neither
Smooth
Neither
Neither
Neither
Neither
Type
Silty Clay
Loam
Silty Clay
Clay
Silt Loam
Clay
Clay Loam
Flow Chart: http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/edu/?cid=nrcs142p2_054311
Ideal for orchards: Well drained loam
http://extension.psu.edu/plants/tree-fruit/commercial-tree-fruit-production/orchard-establishment/orchardestablishment-site-selection-and-preparation
Row 2 and 5 are the correct texture, row 7 is borderline, Row 1, 3, 4 and 6 should be more loam
than clay. Though the clay soil is rich in nutrients, it is not very aerated making it difficult for,
sunlight, oxygen and water to get through. This can be corrected by adding organic matter to the
soil or introducing organisms such as earth worms into the soil.
http://extension.missouri.edu/p/MG4