Soil and water test

[SlugSlinger]

So, I watched a video about clay soil and one thing they talked about was doing this test. The clay is supposed to settle on top of the media, then loam in the middle and sand on the bottom.

This has set for over a day and I am having trouble to determine each layer or if there is even more than one layer.

Can anyone determine if there are layers of if it’s all the same type of soil?

 

[Louro]

I think I see 3 layers. Very fine at the top medium about 2 " and then the coarse at the bottom. Disclaimer, my wife tell me all the time that I'm blind.

 

[Gunbuffer]

Loam is a type of soil

Three things make up soil, from largest size to smallest; sand, silt and clay. If you count organic matter it’s 4.
My guess is you have almost all silt and clay as well as a ton of small bits of organic matter. Clay is negatively charged and will hold a lot of It all in suspension for a good amount of time.
You won’t get much of a separation with that
Method. We used high speed centrifuges to separate clays from silt and I don’t think you’ll be able to Determine much else by that method. The sand if any would Definitely be on the bottom so you might drag a spoon down there and see if you get any sand grains

What is the question you are trying to answer by doing this test?

 

[Mr.Glock]

Leave the lid off and let it dry out.

 

[SlugSlinger]

Loam is a type of soil

Three things make up soil, from largest size to smallest; sand, silt and clay. If you count organic matter it’s 4.
My guess is you have almost all silt and clay as well as a ton of small bits of organic matter. Clay is negatively charged and will hold a lot of It all in suspension for a good amount of time.
You won’t get much of a separation with that
Method. We used high speed centrifuges to separate clays from silt and I don’t think you’ll be able to Determine much else by that method. The sand if any would Definitely be on the bottom so you might drag a spoon down there and see if you get any sand grains

What is the question you are trying to answer by doing this test?

I had a load of “topsoil” delivered and it looked great coming off the truck. Now though, after a rain, it seems to be a lot of clay due to retaining water a few days after the rain and it’s hard and doesn’t break up in my hand.

I am trying to determine if I need to add something to help break up the clay. I have access to a lot of compost and I’m thinking about mixing that in with the load I had delivered.

I’m just using the dirt to help even out the yard and fill low spots.

 

[Gunbuffer]

I had a load of “topsoil” delivered and it looked great coming off the truck. Now though, after a rain, it seems to be a lot of clay due to retaining water a few days after the rain and it’s hard and doesn’t break up in my hand.

I am trying to determine if I need to add something to help break up the clay. I have access to a lot of compost and I’m thinking about mixing that in with the load I had delivered.

I’m just using the dirt to help even out the yard and fill low spots.

Gotcha. If the compost is pretty well
Black and ready you certainly can and probably should do that; you’d be essentially
Making “rich mix” And that’s really the best product to use for top dressing a lawn

 

[Letfreedomring]

I've seen people using either half topsoil and half sand mix or 100% sand like golf courses use on greens. I've also seen where people use a plug aerator then rake up plugs to mix with sand to top dress, but that looks like more work than average joe wants to take on.
Side note: got a coworker that said he has a relative that dredges bird creek to fill the cheap bags of "topsoil" you find in big box store so if you find your bag of soil smells like the muck at the bottom of a lake, it probably is!