It should be noted that soil texture is
not necessarily correlated to soil quality.
The other components of soil such as the
organic matter and nutrients affect the
quality of the soil.
THE RIBBON TEST
OIL IS A COMBINATION OF
“ S MINERAL
MATERIAL, ORGANIC
matter, air, and water. The differences
in soils lay in what percentage there
is of each of those.”
If you are among the 99.9 per cent of
gardeners that do not have the necessary
equipment to sieve and weigh your soil sample, there is an easier method to determine
your soil texture. It is not as scientific or precise as the soil pyramid chart, but it will
reveal the basic characteristics of your soil, allowing you to determine the sample’s
texture. The ribbon test is a measure of a soil’s plasticity, or ability to change shape when
pressure is applied to it. Sandy soils are not plastic, while clay soils are highly plastic.
The first steps involve collecting and moistening a soil sample. Since you are not
testing for nutrients or pH, the source of water is unimportant. Grab a handful of the
wet soil and try to form a sphere about the size of a ping-pong ball. If the sample
will not form a ball and the reason is not for lack of moisture, then you probably
have sandy soil. If you do still have a soil ball, place it between your thumb and
forefinger and gently squeeze. If the sample falls apart when squeezed, then
you likely have a loamy sand soil sample (say that 10 times fast). If the sample
stays intact and you can flatten it into a ribbon-like shape, the fun has begun.
grow cycle
83