Soil ID help

[davidinsydney]

Hi everyone!

Can i please seek your advice in helping me ID the soil type in our backyard. i know I can send samples to the government labs for thorough analysis, however i’m still comprehending the basics when it comes to soil and different types.

I’m not sure what soil type we have in our backyard. It is quite sandy to touch and feel, however has really poor drainage. When watering, the soil would get quite water logged, and becomes quite a muddy consistency. It definitely doesn’t hold together like clay.

Here are some photos. Because the drainage is so poor, im unsure whether it is considered a sandy or clay soil.

To provide some further context, Camelias, lavender and rosemary seem to be thriving in this type of soil. However, many it doesn’t seem to be too friendly to anything we try to plant in this type of soil.

I’m unsure how to “amend” this type of soil. Any suggestions? or do you guys think i should do a lab soil test?

Thank you for taking the time to read this!

 

[DirtMechanic]

So what do you mean? Like the soil series and horizons and such or name or just growing info etc?

How deep is that top layer? What is it like 10-12 inches down? Same stuff? What is your location for climate data purposes? Nearest big town for soil map purposes? I understand Aussies enjoy a maritime climate.

 

[Marck]

Curious, it looks like sand mixed with clay. Perhaps a layer of sand was deposited or intentionally spread over the clay. I would send it in for analysis.

However, do add organic matter to the soil, which is a benefit to all soil textures from sand to clay. Continue to add organic matter, continuously, yearly, or at least occasionally. Add enough to see a noticeable darkening of color and an intermediate level of friability (crumbliness) of texture. It should not clump like full clay, nor spill away like full sand. In some sense your soil is already intermediate, but without organic matter, it may become somewhat like concrete. organic matter is the food that will keep life in your soil. Life that grows, moves, extrudes, and otherwise breaks up the soil.

There are formulae for amounts to add but there is no need to be too precise because organic matter levels will change with time anyway. There are two reasons for this.

Firstly, organic matter will always decompose toward a baseline that is dependent on climate and base rock.

Secondly, there will (should) be organic matter in different states of decomposition. Full compost for immediate affect, but also
wood fines, old leaves, wood chips, etc as a mulch layer. This will continuously breakdown to add more compost.

Tilling is only beneficial in some circumstances. Some choose to do it the first year, but the action of earthworms and other invertebrates can do a lot of the heavy lifting, literally.