The makeup of your soil can be very different depending on your garden, your area, or what materials were used when building or landscaping. Knowing what types of soil you may have is good as it affects drainage, nutrients, and how plants grow in it. Check out our video below which will help you identify the types of soil in your garden:
Soil Types:
Sandy soil
- Sandy soils are light and free draining but can be low in nutrients.
Clay soil
- Clay soils are heavy and hold water but are richer in nutrients.
Loam soil
- Loam soils are a good midpoint between the other two as it is a mixture of clay, sand and silt.
You don’t need to be a soil expert. Have a look at your garden and assess which soil type it is using this simple test: roll the soil in your hand. Sandy soil will fall apart, while clay soil will stick together. From this, you will be able to look after it properly with the correct levels of water and fertiliser.
No matter what soil type you have, use our Getting the Soil Prepped - 8 point plan to prepare for sowing and give your seeds a healthy start. It is worth putting in a little extra effort at this stage.
Want to know more? Check out the rest of our Great Lawns Made Simple series.
- Great Lawns Made Simple: How to create a new lawn
- Great Lawns Made Simple: How to sow grass seed
- Great Lawns Made Simple: How and when to cut grass
- Great Lawns Made Simple: Aeration for lawns
- Great Lawns Made Simple: How to feed your grass
- Great Lawns Made Simple: How to repair your lawn
- Great Lawns Made Simple: How to remove moss
- Great Lawns Made Simple: How to prepare your soil