Soil texture

Soil texture is like different kinds of sand you play with at the beach. Some sand is really smooth and easy to move around with your hands, while other sand might be really chunky and hard to squeeze. Just like this, soil can have different textures too!

Soil texture is based on how much sand, silt, and clay there is in the soil. Sand is the biggest particle in the soil, silt is smaller than sand, and clay is the smallest particle of all. Think of it like different sizes of Lego pieces. Some Legos are bigger like sand, some are smaller like silt, and some are even smaller like clay.

If soil has a lot of sand in it, it will feel really gritty and easy to move. If soil has a lot of silt in it, it will feel smooth and a little stickier. And if soil has a lot of clay in it, it will feel really dense and heavy.

Farmers and gardeners care a lot about soil texture because different plants grow better in different kinds of soil. Some plants don't like soil that's too dense with clay and other plants can't grow in really sandy soil. That's why it's important to test the soil before planting anything!