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25 November 2009
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how to be a gardener - The complete online guide

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Know your plot

Assessing your plot

Analysing your soil

  Soil types

  Soil ph

Drawing a survey

Test your knowledge

Go further

Plant lists

Interactives

Glossary

Credits

Programme information

Help with plugins

Gardening newsletter

Site map

home

Module 1

Module 2

Module 3

Module 4

Module 5

Module 6

Module 7

Module 8

1 - Analysing your soil

Print page

There are six main soil types:

• Clay
  
• Sandy
  
• Silty
  
• Peaty
  
• Chalky
  
• Loamy

• Feels lumpy and sticky when very wet
  
• Rock-hard when dry
  
• Clay drains poorly
  
• Few air spaces
• Warms slowly in spring
  
• Heavy to cultivate
  
• If drainage is improved, plants grow well as it holds more nutrients than many other soils

Clay soil
©

Plant lists Plants for clay soil .
Sandy soil

• Free-draining soil
  
• Gritty to the touch
  
• Warms up quickly in spring
  
• Easy to cultivate
  
• Dries out rapidly
  
• May lack nutrients, which are easily washed through the soil in wet weather (often called a "hungry" soil.)

Sandy or gravelly soil
©

Plant lists Plants for sandy soil .

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1. Know your plot

Introduction
Assessing your plot
Analysing your soil
  Soil types
  Soil ph
Drawing a survey
Test your knowledge
Go further

Highlights

Plant lists

Plant lists

Plants for different soil types:

• Plants for clay soil
• Plants for sandy soil
• Plants for silty soil
• Plants for acid soil
• Plants for alkaline soil
• Plants for loamy soil

Video

Video

Soil, what's it all about?

• The origins of soil
• Organic manure

Interactive

Interactive
Test your knowledge of planting in different lighting conditions . Or find out how to test your soil .
(External) Requires Flash 5


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