What is Sandy loam soil?
This type of soil is typical used for gardening. It is made of sand and various amounts of silt and clay particles. It is typically 60 percent sand, 10 percent clay, and 30 percent silt particles. The reason it is such a good gardening soil is because of the way the particles in the soil allow for drainage. If you are a person known to over-water plants, you will definitely appreciate this soil. In North Texas sandy loam soil is dominant and usually is perfect.
Depending on the type of sandy loam soil you have determines the amount of work you will have to do to it. If your soil already contains a lot of fine sand-like particles, then it might just be perfect. You have to carefully examine the soil to ensure there are not too many fine sand-like particles, too many fine sand-like particles can cause the soil to not offer enough drainage. Also you want to ensure you do not have large particles of sand, they do not allow for enough drainage. In most cases all sandy loam soil is different. Most people find it helpful to purchase a bag of fine sand from the store and carefully work it into the soil. You just have to be careful not to add too much sand.
When choosing what to plant in sandy loam soil, consider what crops or plants like to be watered more often. Plants that are grown in this type of soil on land will require more frequent fertilization and watering versus growing in soil that is more dense. Crops like tomatoes, peppers, green beans, cucumbers, lettuce, and onions are the most popular to be grown in sandy loam soil. Any plants grown in this types of soil need to receive at least 1 inch of rainfall per week. There are also various flower bulbs that grow well in this type of soil like lilies, daffodils, snowdrops, and various others.
If you are planning to have horses on your property this is the best type of soil to have. The sandy loam soil has a the perfect mixture of sand, clay, and silt for your horses. The clay in the soil allows many nutrients to be stored. The positively charged cations in the soil generate and sustain fantastic grass. In order to get the amazing benefits of the clay portion of the soil you have to be sure to also have good amounts of sand and silt particles as well. With sandy loam soil you get perfect portions of all three important ingredients. The silt has a high productivity level of organic matter and the sand allows for water drainage so that the land is not always dry.
In order to keep your sandy loam soil as great as you made it there are a few things you want to keep an eye on. It is a good idea to regularly check the pH levels to ensure the soil is not too acidic. In order to prevent acidity make sure you do not have too much sand in the soil. If you ever find there is too much acidity in the soil then lime can be used to reduce the levels of acid.
For all of your real estate needs, please contact the Hornburg Real Estate Group at Keller Williams Realty at NTexasLandSearch.com or (817) 476-0924.