Soil textures can sometimes be found primarily by themselves. Maybe you have been to the beach and seen all of the sand, or maybe you have explored along a river bank and found pockets of clay. Usually these textures are mixed up to some degree. Take a look at this texture triangle!

This triangle shows us what types of soil we have depending on how much sand, silt, and clay are found. Here in Eastern Washington we have a lot of silty loam. Which means that sand, silt, and clay are all found but silt is in greater amounts. Try to use the triangle... Let's say our sample is 30% silt, 50% sand, and 20% clay (note that equals 100%). I would place my finger at 30% on the right side of the triangle where silt is. I would drag that finger towards 50% on the bottom where sand is located. Then, I would locate 20% on the left side where clay is located. Where do all three points intersect? That is your soil type. Give it a try!

That soil type would be determined to be loam!

Well that is interesting, but why is soil texture important? It is one of the most important soil properties. The proportions of these different-sized particles affects the amount of air, water, and nutrients available to plants, and how the soil “behaves.”

Let us look at permeability or the way water moves through the soil. Imagine the spaces in between the soil particles. The larger the particles the larger the spaces in between them. These spaces between particles are called pores spaces. Now, imagine water being poured over these soils at the same time. Which soil texture would water flow through the fastest - sand, silt, or clay?

What soil do you think was #2? That is right - it is sand. Sand has the largest particles and thus, has larger pore spaces for gasses and liquids to move through. So, water flows fastest through sand. Keep watching... What soil do you think the water flowed through slowest?

The water moves through sample #1 the slowest - it was the last to drip! That sample is clay. With the small, flat shape of the particles, the water has much fewer pore spaces to move though.

Take a look at the video below to see an easy way to determine the texture of soil. Download the guide provided within our Spokane Conservation District section.