Have you ever worked in a garden that simply won’t keep your plants alive no matter how hard you try? If so, the issue may lie in your choice of garden soil. 

Understanding different soil types is essential to the health and productivity of your plants. This is because soil is responsible for drainage, nutrient availability, and water retention, all of which are vitally important in growing healthy plants. 

Choosing the right type of soil for your garden will help you get the best out of your plants. Here, we’ll go through the most common types of soils and explore the different characteristics, benefits, and best uses for each type of soil. 

Sandy Soil

Characteristics

Sandy soils are light and have an airy and dry texture. They tend to be warm, acidic, and low in nutrients. As the name suggests, sandy soils have a high amount of sand in the mix, with only a small amount of clay. 

Benefits

Sandy soils are useful in some cases because they have great water drainage. This is due to lack of clay in the soil. Without clay in the mixture, water is allowed to pass quickly through and drain away from the roots. 

Sandy soils are great soils for spring because they tend to warm up easily due to their light texture. However, in summer, the same light texture means they’re often at risk of overheating, which isn’t good for your plants. They can also cause plants to suffer from a lack of nutrients due to the water washing away organic matter from the soil. 

Best Uses

The best uses for sandy soils are to grow spring crops or crops that need high drainage to prevent rotting in the ground. Crops such as carrots, beetroot, silverbeet, artichoke, potatoes, and asparagus are some of the best for sandy soils. 

Some herbs, such as sage, rosemary, oregano, and thyme,  will also do well in sandy soils. However, it’s important to add in some organic matter to this soil type in order to make sure the plants have enough nutrients to grow well. 

Sandy soil can also be highly beneficial for growing turf, especially in areas prone to heavy rainfall. Its loose texture allows water to pass through quickly, reducing the risk of waterlogging and root diseases.

Loam Soil

Characteristics

Loam is a term you may not be familiar with because this soil is actually composed of a variety of soil types. Loam soils are made up of a mix of sand, silt, and clay, which gives it all the benefits of both sandy and clay soils, without the negatives. 

Benefits

Because of the addition of sand, loam soils tend to have good drainage, while the presence of clay allows them to retain nutrients. Loam soils also provide the ability for plants to anchor themselves in the soil, with less chance of them being pulled out by winds, root growth, or soil erosion. 

Loam soils can be composed of more sand (sandy loam) or more clay (clay loam), so it’s important to check which type of loam soil you’re using. 

Best Uses

Loam soils can be used for almost any plant but should still be topped up with some organic material in the form of mulch or fertiliser for additional nutrients. Loam soil is also ideal for turf due to its balanced mix of sand, silt, and clay, providing optimal drainage, moisture retention, and nutrient availability. This well-structured composition supports robust root development, promoting healthy, resilient turf. 

Veggie Soil Mix

Recipe

Veggie soil mix is made from a sandy loam mixed with organic garden soil and mushroom compost.

Characteristics

These ingredients give the soil the characteristics of a well-balanced loam, with enough sand to keep the soil warm and drainable and enough clay to prevent nutrients from draining from the soil or eroding away from around the roots. 

Benefits

The addition of two types of organic matter through both the organic soil and the mushroom compost gives this soil a hearty boost of nutrients, which will slowly degrade over time to provide a long-lasting feed source for your plants. 

Best Uses

This veggie mix soil is optimised for growing a bountiful crop of beautiful vegetables, but it can grow almost anything from flowers and herbs to grasses and root crops.

For an expert opinion on the capabilities of the various soil types or mixtures, come chat to the team at Hurstbridge Garden Supplies today!