Which soil holds the most water

If you have sandy soil, you can still improve its water absorption capacity. First, remove any stones you see because they negatively affect water retention. Next, try applying a bit of compost to sandy soil. For any type of soils, tilling the soil before planting is very important. A soil tiller will turn over and break up the soil and help water to be distributed evenly throughout the area. Clay soil is the best type for holding water.

This is because it is rich in organic matter and provides a large surface area for water retention. Still, loamy soil and sandy soil do have their benefits — and applying compost can help improve soil water absorption. If you have any questions regarding soil texture, soil organic matter, and their relation to water retention, do feel free to drop a comment.

Also, it makes an excellent potting mix because clays hold moisture better than other materials without adding too much bulk when wet which will save valuable gardening space. Although of all the soil types, clay soil holds the most water, it runs the risk of becoming waterlogged, which makes it unsuitable for growing certain plants. Soil is composed of sand, silt, and clay, and their proportion identifies soil texture.

Soil texture, composition, and organic matter all play important roles in determining how much water a specific soil type can hold. The presence of soil organic matter SOM can help increase water holding capacity. Clay soil is full of negatively and positively charged particles which means that it has an attractive force towards the dirt. Soil organic matter SOM contains:. Soil microorganisms play an essential role in decomposing detritus and plant residues, cycling nutrients, and fertilizing the soil.

Thus, they are important for the development of healthy soil structures. Detritus, also known as active organic matter, comprises leaves and other plant parts, animal remains, waste products, and organic debris. In addition, there are various organisms like earthworms and millipedes that shred detritus in pieces for their living.

A coarse soil has bigger particles than a fine soil, but it has less porosity, or overall pore space. Water can be held tighter in small pores than in large ones, so fine soils can hold more water than coarse soils. Water infiltration is the movement of water from the soil surface into the soil profile. Soil texture, soil structure, and slope have the largest impact on infiltration rate. Water moves by gravity into the open pore spaces in the soil, and the size of the soil particles and their spacing determines how much water can flow in.

Wide pore spacing at the soil surface increases the rate of water infiltration, so coarse soils have a higher infiltration rate than fine soils. Permeability refers to the movement of air and water through the soil, which is important because it affects the supply of root-zone air, moisture, and nutrients available for plant uptake.

A soil's permeability is determined by the relative rate of moisture and air movement through the most restrictive layer within the upper 40 inches of the effective root zone.

Water and air rapidly permeate coarse soils with granular subsoils, which tend to be loose when moist and don't restrict water or air movement. Slow permeability is characteristic of a moderately fine subsoil with angular to subangular blocky structure.

It is firm when moist and hard when dry. Water-holding capacity is controlled primarily by soil texture and organic matter. Soils with smaller particles silt and clay have a larger surface area than those with larger sand particles, and a large surface area allows a soil to hold more water.

The amount of organic matter in soil also affects how much water the soil is able to retain. This is because organic matter has a natural attraction to water. So the more organic matter a soil contains, the greater the affinity it has with water. Clay soil is very rich in organic matter while sandy soil has very little. Silt and loam have a moderate amount of organic matter and can be amended with compost to have more.

Because clay soil retains a lot of water and is high in organic matter, it can be damaged easily when cultivated while wet.