Soil Properties

 Soil is made up of different-sized particles. Soil texture states to the size of the particles that make up the soil and depends on the proportion of sand, silt and clay-sized particles and organic matter in the soil. Sandy soils feel persistent when rubbed between your fingers. Silts feel smooth – a little like flour. Most clays are adhesive and mouldable. If you’ve ever used pottery clay, you’ll recognise the sense.  Soils are made up of diverse combinations of sand, silt and clay particles. Soils that are a combination of sand, silt and clay are called loams. The name of the soil often recognises the dominant particle, for example, Timaru silt loam describes a soil that has a predominance of silt. Other examples of New Zealand soils are Waikare clay and Te Kopuru sand.