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Soils are combinations of SAND, SILT and CLAY particles classified by size:
- SAND: large, gritty, minerals resistant to weathering.
- SILT: much smaller size, smooth, fine textured.
- CLAY: smallest size, very porous and readily holds water, sticky when wet, extremely active chemically. Clay test: hold a moist ball of soil in your hand. Squeeze the ball and try to form a flat ribbon of soil between your thumb and finger. The more your ribbon holds together, the more clay the soil has in it.
- OTHER: HUMUS (decomposing organic matter), a stable, long lasting material. Humus improves soil by increasing aeration and water and nutrient retention capacity.
There are thousands of different kinds of soil. Factors which cause soils to differ from each other include color, texture (sand, silt, clay), stoniness, wetness, slope, amount of organic matter and soil permeability or how well water moves through the soil.
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