The soil is loam that can be done and planted. Soil types - quality criteria and their main differences

With a high percentage of clay content. Depending on the composition, it is divided into several varieties. The fertility of such soils is quite high. But there are some features of construction on loam soil. Its qualities can affect the strength of the foundation of the future home. And in order to avoid negative consequences, you must first conduct a thorough analysis of the land.

Soil varieties

There are many types of soil. These include clean sand or clay, the processing of which, as a rule, causes many difficulties for gardeners. Sandy loamy rock also needs improvement: it is thoroughly fertilized before planting. But it is actively used in construction, especially in the construction of pavement.

Rocky soils are ideal for engineering work. However, they are quite rare. As for loam, it is a non-rocky type of soil. For the high content of clay, it is also called bound.

Also well suited for the construction of monumental structures and small buildings. However, the foundation of these buildings may be susceptible to destruction due to the increased moisture content. Therefore, it is necessary to accurately study the composition of the loam and determine the further procedure for construction.

Types and characteristics of loam

A large number of territories of the Russian Federation are located on loamy soil. Loam is of three types. They are distinguished depending on the ratio of sand and clay present in the composition. Light - more crumbly and less dense, rolls with difficulty. Its coefficient of plasticity is not higher than twelve. There is less sand in the heavy loam, there are large lumps of clay.

There is also an intermediate option between these two. In this case, the soil can be rolled into a small cord. But due to the low moisture content, it will soon fall apart.

According to a different classification, dry loam and wet loam are distinguished. In silty, the percentage of sand particles does not reach forty. This is its difference from sandy. The density of loam depends on the total moisture content and varies from 1.8 to 2.1 tons per cubic meter.

Conducting an analysis

There are several ways to determine the composition of the soil. The simplest is to visually inspect and take a small amount of land in hand. The degree of friability is determined, attempts are made to roll the soil into a lump or cord. Attention is drawn to the viscosity, stickiness, the presence of small particles, dust in the mixture. The increased content of moisture and clay will lead to the fact that during frosts the state of the soil will change. And since winters in Central Europe can be cold and long, you need to try to build the foundation of the building, taking into account possible threats and according to all the rules of construction.

Another good way to find out the consistency of loam is to place a small amount of it in a container of water. It is desirable that the vessel is transparent. The liquid is thoroughly mixed. After some time (no earlier than 15 minutes), you can observe the formed precipitate. Sand particles will remain at the bottom of the container, while clay will float to the surface. The total composition of the soil is determined by the approximate amount of substances per eye.

If accurate data are needed, then you can use the services of special chemical laboratories.

Preparation

It is advisable to check the land in the spring season. It is then that the groundwater level becomes higher and closer to the surface. In some cases, the area is flooded, which indicates unfavorable terrain. Perhaps there is a swamp or a large reservoir nearby, which means that the water level will rise annually and have a destructive effect on the foundation.

On the building plot, choose the most even and dry place. Several wells should be drilled from different sides. This will help to study the soil in more detail, its uniformity and moisture content. After the study, they begin planning the development. Construction methods depend on the financial capabilities of the owners, their wishes and the condition of the land.

Foundation construction

Having decided on the project of the structure, they begin to lay the foundation. In some cases, before building a foundation on loam, the soil under it is covered with a small layer of wet sand. This will protect the concrete slabs from severe frost damage. The foundation is laid to a great depth.

To do this, you need to know what is the height of soil freezing in winter in a given area. If the plate is located deeper, it will not succumb to displacement. It is also important to avoid groundwater below the building.

When all the materials are ready for construction, the marking and preparation of the site is carried out. The layer of vegetation is removed, the area is carefully leveled. The next stage is the installation of pillars at some distance from the future home. Dimensional boards are attached to them. All dimensions must be indicated clearly and strictly in accordance with the project. If the humidity is high, drainage must be done. The method consists in installing trenches (pipes) near the foundation, where excess water will drain.

Other technologies

There is another option, how to avoid the consequences of building on loamy soil. This is the so-called "floating foundation". It consists of the most durable solid plate. Another type of construction is also used - a lattice. A thick layer of sand or gravel is laid under them. As a result, after frosts, the soil begins to rise, and with it the base of the building rises. This deformation is imperceptible, and strong thick concrete slabs do not break or crack. The only drawback of this method is that the construction will take quite a lot of time and patience.

In order not to be afraid in the future for your home, you can use the TISE technology. She is loved for her low cost and the ability to put a foundation on absolutely any soil. Wells break through to a great depth, and supports are installed in them. It is important to reinforce the system. Then the structure will be as strong as possible and able to withstand any structure on itself. This option is ideal for areas with groundwater near the surface.

Soil treatment and improvement

Loam is not only the soil on which you can build a house, but also used for planting. In this case, you can use organic fertilizers or add sand. If the clay content is increased, then earth should not be mixed in: it will only add moisture and stickiness. You need to try to loosen the landing sites more often. Gardeners even make some protective structures against "trampling down" the soil. It can be wooden boards, broken bricks, the remains of cut plants.

The beds should be raised a dozen centimeters, since after rains deep puddles can form that do not dry out for a long time. Sand and manure are also added to avoid problems. Excess sand in the garden is also not recommended: it will harm the vegetation.

Possible consequences

A thorough study of the soil and the choice of the type of foundation will help to avoid mistakes during construction. The most common is tape, but its use on loamy soils should be carried out with caution. It is important to consider the level to which the ground can freeze. The foundation should be located a few tens of centimeters lower. Otherwise, in a few years, after the change of seasons, cracks will appear on the concrete slabs. Such a house would be unsuitable and even dangerous for habitation. Often the repair of such a structure is impossible.

Clay soil has a too dense and heavy structure. In addition, it is poor in essential nutrients, does not pass air well and warms up for a long time. It will not work to get high yields of basic crops on it without preliminary preparation.

How to determine what kind of soil is on the site?

Before performing certain cultivation work, you must first determine what type of soil is on your site. To do this, you need to carry out the following, not at all complicated procedure. A small amount of soil from the site is collected in the hand. After that, it is moistened with water right in the palm of your hand and kneaded according to the principle of kneading the dough. The resulting homogeneous mass rolls into a "sausage", which is then folded into a ring.

If cracks form on the ring during the rolling process, then the soil belongs to loam. It does not require radical measures to improve. But if the surface after folding is flat and smooth, then the soil is unambiguously clayey and you will have to work hard to improve it.

Where to start improving the clay area?

Improvement of the clay area should begin with a study of its relief. All irregularities on its surface provoke unnecessary stagnation of moisture, so they must be leveled.

For additional removal of excess moisture, a drainage system is created on the site. Depending on the possibilities, these can be either simple drainage grooves or a more complex system of pipes buried in the soil.

After arranging the drainage system, it is necessary to determine the acidity of the soil. In most cases, heavy clay areas have an acidic reaction of the soil substrate, and this is extremely unfavorable for most garden crops. To determine the level of soil acidity on the site, you can resort to the services of special organizations specializing in performing such analyzes. But it is long and expensive, so it is not available to everyone.

For self-determination of acidity, special kits are also used. You can buy them at gardening stores. Experienced gardeners determine the acidity index by the vegetation growing on the site. If it contains plants such as horsetail or plantain, then the soil can be safely classified as acidic.

It is possible to normalize excess acidity with the help of liming. It will not only change the chemical composition of the soil for the better, but also significantly improve its mechanical characteristics. Properly limed clay soil will become more breathable and loose.

Liming

There are two types of soil liming. The first - the main one, is used on initially acidic soils. The second is supportive, since lime tends to gradually wash out and after a while re-liming is required. Usually on heavy clay soils it is carried out after 5-6 years.

In addition to lime, a number of other substances can be used: dolomite flour, chalk,. But most often slaked lime is used for liming. Everything else is most often used to enrich the soil with microelements.

Liming is carried out in spring or autumn. Lime is simply scattered over the surface of the earth, and then buried to a depth of 15 cm. Its amount depends on the level of acidity, and more than the recommended amount cannot be applied. For example, heavy clay soil, depending on the level of acidity, requires the application of 5 to 7 kg per 10 square meters. meters. For lighter loams, 5-6 kg is enough.

Loosening with organic matter and sand

After preliminary preparation of clay areas, loosening materials are introduced. They not only improve the structure of the soil, but also enrich it with essential nutrients. Of the organic loosening materials, the following are most often used: peat,. Also, sand or is often used to give structure to the soil.

In the first years of development of clay plots, the application rate of organic baking powder is about 2 buckets per square meter. At the same time, they should be embedded to a depth of no more than 10 - 15 cm. This contributes to a more accelerated and complete mineralization. Organics are also attractive to soil microorganisms and earthworms. In the course of their life activity, they significantly loosen the soil and enrich it with nutrients.

Advice! For application, you need to use only well-rotted manure. Fresh will cause serious burns to the root system of plants, and they will die. The best option is to use sheep or horse manure.

When used as an organic baking powder, peat is pre-weathered before application. In this case, it is advisable not to use red riding peat. It contains a large number of ferruginous compounds, which negatively affect the development of plants.

Sawdust is also used as a baking powder. But you need to make them not fresh, but stale for at least a year. Their consumption rate is no more than 1 bucket per square meter. When using sawdust, it must be taken into account that when they enter the soil, they absorb part of the soil nitrogen in the process of decomposition, thereby reducing its fertility.

To prevent this, sawdust is soaked in a solution before making. For a 10 liter bucket use 150 g of fertilizer. The resulting solution is enough to soak 3 buckets of sawdust.

For a more effective action of organic baking powder, river sand is simultaneously introduced into the soil. The process of making it is quite laborious and requires significant material costs, but this combination gives an excellent result. When calculating the amount of sand required to apply, the mechanical composition of the soil is taken into account.

Most vegetable and flower crops develop best on light loam, so when preparing the soil, at least 1 bucket of sand is added per square meter of land. With, and a number of fruit crops, when making, it is enough to use half a bucket. They prefer heavier loams.

Organic loosening materials and sand will have to be introduced into the soil every two years. This is due to the fact that organic matter gradually overheats and is absorbed by plants, and sand, during irrigation and rain, gradually seeps into deeper layers of the soil.

The use of green manure

With the improvement of the properties of clay plots, green manure plants show quite good results:, rye,. They start sowing in early spring or after harvesting early vegetables. Before flowering, they are buried in the soil by digging. In the process of decomposition, they not only improve the structure, but also enrich the soil with nitrogenous compounds. The winter sowing of winter rye shows the highest efficiency. In the spring, after the snow cover has melted, it is buried in the soil.

To improve the mechanical composition of heavy clay soils, white clover is sown on the site. For 2 - 3 years, it is periodically mowed, while the beveled part is left in place for further overheating. The roots of this plant also have a positive effect on the structure of the soil. After 3 - 4 years of cultivation, clover is dug up to a depth of no more than 10 cm. After that, you can start growing garden crops.

- During winter digging, it is impossible to break the lumps that form during the digging process. Under the influence of frost and snow, their structure will improve significantly. In the spring, such soil will dry out and warm up faster. After that, you can start re-digging it.

- When improving clay soils, during digging, the lower podzolic part should not be turned out to the surface. The depth of the arable layer is increased gradually from year to year, digging each time 2-3 cm deeper. In this case, organic matter and lime are necessarily introduced.

- If the soil is very heavy and digging is difficult, broken bricks, straw or small, pre-chopped branches are brought into it. You can also burn, pulled out along with the roots and clods of earth on them, and then use them to make them for digging.

- It is useful to populate areas with heavy loam with worms, and plant them in all free places. After rains, they prevent the formation of a soil crust, and in the process of decomposition, they enrich the upper soil layer with organic compounds.

The final step in the process of improving heavy clay soils is the introduction of the complex. It is selected taking into account the needs of the crops to be grown on it. In general, the process of cultivation should be carried out throughout the growing season.

To do this, beds and aisles are regularly mulched with organic waste, peat, or any other available materials. It is desirable to supplement their action with biologically active preparations of a new generation. For example, according to reviews, the use of fertilizers of the Baikal EM-1 series gives a good result. Preparations based on the fungus Trichoderma (Trichoderma) - Gliocladin, Sternifag, etc., have also proven themselves well.

Clay soil is very difficult to cultivate. Nevertheless, there are a lot of summer cottages and vegetable gardens with clay soil. It is a lot of work to cultivate such soil and most of the work falls on the autumn months. Consider how to improve clay soil.

What is clay soil.

Clay soil contains over 80% clay and less than 20% sand. These small particles of clay adhere tightly to each other. That is why it is poorly permeable to water and air. And the lack of air in it greatly slows down the decomposition of organic matter.

The structure of clay soils is very imperfect. These are heavy, highly cohesive and compacted soils, especially after rains, as they are usually poorly drained.

Clay soils are cold and warm very slowly, although they contain more nutrients than light soils. They are difficult to process and penetrate into the root system. Water on them after snow melting, during rain and irrigation, lingers on the surface, slowly penetrates into the lower horizons.

That is why in such areas water can stagnate for a long time, displacing air from the soil, resulting in acidification of the soil. The same happens if the water table is close to the surface.

After heavy rains, clay soils quickly sink, forming a surface crust, which, after drying, becomes hard and cracks. And during a drought, the earth becomes so hard that even a sharply sharpened shovel can hardly enter it under great effort.

At the same time, the surface crust increases the air deficit in the soil and leads to its further drying. It makes cultivation difficult and causes large lumps when digging the soil.

In clay soil, as a rule, humus is contained in a small amount only in the upper layer 10-15 cm thick. A distinctive feature of such soils is that they have an acidic reaction, which many cultivated plants do not tolerate or tolerate poorly.

The disadvantages of heavy soils can be overcome within a few seasons. Of course, there is no question of turning them into light soils. At the same time, the gardener requires large physical and material costs. The work to transform them can take years.

How to improve clay soil

First you need to pay special attention to the layout of the surface of your site. All terrain irregularities must be leveled to avoid any stagnant water. And the direction of the beds should be determined so that a good flow of excess water is constantly provided along the boundaries.

It is very important to dig clay soil for the winter without breaking lumps. This must be done before the onset of autumn rains, so as not to compact the soil even more. In winter, the structure of these lumps will improve under the influence of frost and moisture. This accelerates the spring drying and warming of the soil. And in the spring such soil must be dug up again.

When cultivating clay soils and deepening their arable layer, a significant part of the lower podzolic layer cannot be turned up to the surface. The depth of digging should be increased every year by only 1-2 cm, while adding lime materials and organic fertilizers for digging.

If the earth is so heavy that even digging is difficult, then crushed brick, straw, finely chopped branches, and bark can be added. In the absence of a brick, it can be replaced with burnt weeds. They are burned along with the roots and the earth adhering to them, and then brought into the soil when digging.

But the main method for gradually improving the structure of heavy clay soils is the application of organic fertilizers: rotted manure, peat-dung, peat-fecal and prefabricated composts and peat.

During the years of their development, it is desirable to make every year at least 1.5-2 buckets of rotted manure or compost per 1 sq. meter. At the same time, organic fertilizers in the first years of soil cultivation should be planted to a depth of no more than 10-12 cm, which contributes to their better and faster mineralization. This stimulates the development of beneficial soil microorganisms and earthworms. As a result of their vital activity, the soil becomes looser, more structural, better permeable to air and water, and more fertile for plants.

At the same time, the manure introduced into the clay soil must be well rotted, otherwise the roots of the plants may “burn out”. It is advisable to use only horse or sheep manure, as they decompose faster.

Before introducing peat into the soil, it must be weathered. It is better not to introduce rusty peat into the soil, since it has an excess of iron, which is harmful to plants.

Good results are obtained by introducing stale sawdust into the soil, no more than one bucket per 1 sq. meter. But their introduction into the soil during decomposition diverts part of the soil nitrogen, which reduces soil fertility and worsens the conditions for plant growth.

To prevent this from happening, these sawdust must first be soaked with a solution of urea (150 grams of urea per 10 liters of water per 3 buckets of sawdust) or sawdust from livestock, richly moistened with animal urine, should be used.

Good results are obtained by introducing supercomposts from the Pixa group into such soil. The dose of “Pixa” and “Pixa-Lux” application is small. The application rules are indicated on the bags, and you will receive the result next year.

Simultaneously with organic matter, it is necessary to introduce significant doses of river sand into the clay soil during autumn digging. This is a very laborious but effective technique.

Due to the fact that for different crops grown on the site, the requirements for the mechanical composition of the soil are different, the amount of sand applied may be different.

Most vegetables, many flower crops, especially bulbs and annuals, grow best on light loam. Therefore, when preparing the soil for these crops, it should be applied per 1 sq. meter for 1 bucket of sand.

For cabbage, beets, apple trees, plums, cherries and some flower crops (gladiolus, delphiniums, peonies, roses), soils with a heavier mechanical composition are the best. Therefore, when preparing a site for them, it is enough to make 1 sq. meter for half a bucket of sand.

Unfortunately, it is necessary to introduce organic matter and river sand into heavy clay soil at least a year later for several years. The fact is that plants will use the organic matter for their own needs, and the sand will gradually seep down, and the soil in the upper habitable layer will “get heavier” again.

But still, when organic matter and sand are introduced into the soil for 5 years in such quantities, it is possible to turn the top arable soil layer 15-18 cm thick from clay to loamy.

The use of annual green fertilizers (vetch, lupine, phacelia, etc.) is very effective.

They are sown after harvesting early vegetables or potatoes, and in late autumn they are already dug up. An excellent result is also obtained by sowing winter rye at the end of August, followed by digging it in the spring. Rotting, all these herbs enrich the soil with organic matter. And most importantly, at the same time, clay soils become looser.

In the absence or lack of organic matter, various types of perennial clover are also often sown to improve such soils. Crops are periodically mowed, leaving the grass in place. Living and dying clover roots have a beneficial effect on the soil. Once every 3-4 years, perennial clover is dug up to a depth of 10-12 cm.

It is also very useful to populate areas with heavy clay soil with worms that contribute to its loosening. And plant all free places with ground cover plants. They prevent the formation of a crust after rain and watering, and also, rotting, replenish the top layer with organic matter.

Liming of clay soil is carried out only during autumn processing. Usually it is carried out once every 5-6 years. At the same time, one should not forget that the introduction of lime not only deoxidizes the soil. The addition of calcium increases the fertility of the soil, since without it a water-resistant structure is not formed. When liming, heavy soils become looser, which significantly improves the water-air regime of such soil.

The dose of application of alkaline materials depends on the content of calcium in them, the level of soil acidity and its mechanical composition. For autumn soil liming, a wide variety of alkaline materials are used - ground limestone, slaked lime, dolomite flour, chalk, marl, cement dust, wood and peat ash.

After liming, the conditions for processing heavy soils improve, they are much easier to dig, and light soils, on the contrary, become more coherent and water-intensive. Liming enhances the activity of various microorganisms that assimilate nitrogen or decompose humus, thereby improving plant nutrition.

How to determine what kind of soil you have? To do this, conduct a simple experiment. Take a small amount of earth in a handful and moisten it with water right in your hand. Knead so that the moisture disperses evenly and the soil resembles a not too thick dough. Roll up a “sausage” about the size of a pencil and try to roll this “sausage” into a ring about 5 cm in diameter. If the ring cracks, then you have loam. If the ring is even, without cracks, then the soil is clayey. Will have to improve it.

V.G. Shafransky, Yekaterinburg

You can find this article in the newspaper "Magic Garden" 2010 No. 21.

it is better to grow trees, shrubs, vegetables and fruits.

Soil types and suitable crops

A rich harvest depends on many factors, but the quality of the soil, perhaps, is decisive. Soil fertility is its ability to provide plants with nutrients, moisture and air.

Of course, any land can be improved, but for this it is necessary to have an idea about the subject of our conversation.

Soil is a layer of earth that contains nutrients, the amount of which decreases as it deepens. For this reason, when selecting horticultural crops, it is necessary to take into account the depth of the soil layer, its mechanical composition, the amount of humus contained in it, and much more.

There are five basic types of soil: clay, loam, sandy, calcareous and peaty. But in their pure form, they are almost never found. Often there are mixed combinations of different types, one of which is predominant.

Clay soils. Characteristic

Clay soils, although fertile, are characterized as the most difficult to cultivate. They retain water, caking and compacting. In the spring, plants are planted on them later, since the soil does not dry out for a long time and is poorly warmed by the sun. And in the summer, moisture evaporates very quickly from it.

With proper cultivation of such soil, a good harvest can be obtained, since it contains much more nutrients than other soils. It is possible to improve the composition of clay soil with the help of spring and autumn digging, as well as by introducing leaf humus, manure, garden compost, ash, coarse sand and peat into it. Once every 3 years it should be limed.

When digging, it is recommended to add crushed brick or weed ash. It is also advisable to sow legumes on clay soil, followed by burying the tops. With severe waterlogging, drainage should be used on it. Clay soils take time and patience to transform.

With appropriate processing on clay soils, fruit trees and shrubs, in particular barberry and chokeberry, will grow and develop well; garden crops such as peas, beans, cabbage, spinach, potatoes, etc.; from flowers - mountaineer serpentine, hosta, crayfish necks.

Sandy soil. Characteristic

Sandy soils, consisting of sand and silt, are easily accessible to water, warm up well in spring, and are easy to cultivate. But they retain moisture and nutrients poorly, are quickly washed out, and are also prone to erosion, they have little potassium and magnesium. To improve the quality of sandy soils, it is necessary to apply the following types of treatment: fertilization in small doses in the spring and autumn seasons, mulching with organic matter - fallen leaves, compost and rotted bark. The effect will be the addition of Soddy Land. A year before planting trees, you can apply green manure, such as lupine. Grapes grow well on sandy soils; with good processing, raspberries can be planted; on sandy loam - pear, chokeberry, strawberry, blackberry, honeysuckle, dahlia. Plants that are native to arid regions feel great on them.

Loamy soil. Characteristic

Loamy soils are the most suitable for gardening. They have good air capacity and moisture capacity, they are easily crushed. Wet loam is granular, slightly smeared. Such soil does not need to be dug up often, as this leads to the formation of a hard layer shallow from the surface, which interferes with the development of roots. After rain, a crust also forms on it, which prevents water from seeping through. Improving measure - changing the depth of tillage, fertilization. Loams are suitable for all kinds of plants.

Peat soils. Characteristic

Peat soils are poor in phosphorus, potassium, calcium. Plant residues are poorly decomposed in them. Their quality can be improved by draining, liming, fertilizing and sanding. The latter must be evenly scattered over the surface and dug several times for the best mixing. Enriched peat soil becomes suitable for the cultivation of fruit and berry crops. When planting plums, apple trees and cherries, it is necessary to dig a deep and wide hole, pour sand into it and 1 part of imported land containing loamy soil and lime. For a pear, the ratio of earth and sand is 70 and 30%, respectively. On such soil, chokeberry, bird cherry, lilac (except for hybrid varieties) take root well, grow remarkably and give good yields of strawberries.

lime soils. Characteristic

In calcareous soils, lime directly makes up at least half of the volume, the rest is sand or clay. It belongs to the category of loose soils, it is easy to work, it warms up quickly. At the same time, it is dry and does not provide the plants with enough water. After rain, a crust forms on it, which prevents the penetration of air. A special type of calcareous soils are chalk, in which chalk is mixed with loam or clay. They are characterized by a high level of acidity. If there is a large amount of clay in calcareous soils, walnuts, berry bushes, grapes, beech, maple, ash, elm, shadberry, gorodina grow well on them.

How to determine soil fertility?

An important factor for determining soil fertility is its acidity (alkalinity). It reflects the amount of nutrients present in the soil. Knowing the level of soil acidity, you can determine measures to improve its condition and choose the most suitable plants. An acidity index (pH) of 7 is typical for neutral soil and is considered normal. Such soil absorbs nutrients well, ignoring harmful ones. Values ​​below 7 are indicators of increased acidity, higher indicate the predominance of alkalis in the soil. For sandy soils, this figure is 5-5.5, for loamy soils improved by processing - 6.5-7.

The simplest and most affordable method for determining acidity is using a special indicator. True, often, as experience shows, the results of a pH tester are not accurate. To obtain reliable indicators, it is necessary to take the soil in different places of the site and submit it for analysis to the laboratory.

You can determine the type of soil in your garden yourself. To do this, you need to be observant. For example, the abundance of horsetail, plantain, oxalis, wood lice and buttercup in the garden is a sign of acidic soils. They are also preferred by camellia, azalea and hydrangea. Plums and cherries do not like acidic soils.

Quinoa, wheatgrass, coltsfoot, clover, and chamomile grow well on slightly acidic and neutral soils. They are most suitable for roses, gillyflowers, asters, ornamental cabbages and chrysanthemums.

Surely you are familiar with the concept of "fertile soil". This is the one on which cultivated and ornamental plants grow well, flowers bloom, fruit trees give a good harvest. Loamy and sandy soils are considered fertile. It is they who can fully provide plants with moisture and useful microelements.

Compound

Loamy soil is considered high-quality soil, as it has an optimal ratio of sand and clay in its composition. Such soil is 70 percent clay and 30 percent sand. Soil that contains large and small sand particles is considered capable of producing a good crop.

Loam perfectly passes moisture, "knows how" to keep it in the required quantities necessary for the proper functioning of plants. The loamy soil is rich in minerals and microelements, it perfectly passes air. Such land is considered ideal for household plots and gardens.

Many gardeners strive to at least bring the land in their area closer to loamy soil. They bring more sand to the gardens, if, or, conversely, they add black soil to the silty soil. And those gardeners who are lucky enough to grow plants on loamy soil simply enjoy a good quality harvest.

The main advantages of loamy soil

• This one is ideal for growing almost the entire huge list of plants: vegetables, fruit trees, berry bushes, flowers.
• Loamy soil is characterized by increased moisture resistance, capable of retaining moisture for a long time.
• The soil, which is 70 percent sand and 30 percent clay, has good subsoil irrigation capacity.
• High rates of aeration, that is, this type of soil is well ventilated, well passes air.
• Well assimilates fertilizers and manure, improving crop performance with each year of operation.

Disadvantages of loamy soils

Ways to correct the shortcomings of loamy soil

Clay, loamy soil is a heavy type. It requires care and fertilization. If a gardener decides to improve crop performance and correct minor shortcomings of such land, then there are some tips. First, you should use the mulching method. This process is the covering of a plot of land with planted plants with a covering material. Mulching will be an ideal way to preserve and maintain plant health. In addition, this method will save and facilitate your work spent on watering and loosening the soil.

How to identify loamy soil

Even a non-professional agronomist will be able to determine on his own personal plot what type of soil prevails in the garden. There is a simple way to do this - “rolling sausages”. It is necessary to take a certain amount of earth, moisten it well and mold a small ball from a piece. Next, a “sausage” should be formed from the ball and try to wrap it in a ring.

If you can easily do this, then you have clay soil in your country house. If the earthen "sausage" twists easily, but when rolled up it starts to crack a little, then in front of you is loamy soil. From light sandy soil, you will not be able to blind anything at all, even if the moisture is sufficient and the movements are neat.

Heavy types of soils can also be determined by eye. Loamy or clayey will not dry out as quickly as sandy after rain. At elevated air temperatures, it will crack faster; in spring, melt water leaves the garden more slowly.

So, we can already safely answer the question: loamy soil - what is it? This is the most fertile and nutrient-rich species. But experts recommend improving such almost ideal soil. Here are some helpful tips: