Understanding your soil is a crucial part of learning which plants will thrive in your yard. Soil is the main factor in the health of your garden and below are some ways that you can test and observe your soil to understand its chemistry and structure. This understanding will help you when choosing the right plants for your garden.

Learning Which Soil Type You Have

You can describe soil based on three of the components that make it up. The USDA National Survey can provide you with useful information about your soil but a DIY soil test may be even more helpful. Test the soil in multiple parts of your yard since you may have different types depending on your local area’s geology and climate.

Testing the Infiltration Rate of Your Soil

The infiltration rate has to do with your soil’s ability to drain. This is an important factor which plants you choose. Some can thrive in drought-prone soil while others can thrive in soil that drains poorly. As you research plants for your yard, you may find some that are said to require good drainage. Your soil must drain well if you want those plants in your garden.

Test your soil’s infiltration rate with this test:

Dig a hole that is one foot deep and saturate it with water. If the water drains away at a rate of two inches per hour, this means that the soil has good drainage. If it drains at an inch per hour or less, the drainage is poor and you will need plants that can grow in poorly draining soil.

Soil Observation

You can learn a lot about your yard’s soil just by paying attention to it. Signs of areas that will require specific plant types include ones that have the following problems:

• Ponding: This is when water collects in a low spot. This may be the result of compacted soil or because the soil contains clay. You will need plants that can thrive in waterlogged soil for these areas.

• Erosion: If water is washing away soil on a slope in your yard, use plants that will spread and hold the soil together.

• Cracking: If you see cracks, this indicates clay soil in a non-arid climate. You will need plants that thrive in clay soils.

Testing for Toxicity

There is a high likelihood of lead in your soil if you live an urban area or in an older home. This is due to lead from peeling paint or pipes winding up in the soil. You can contact your county extension office to find out where toxins have been found and the quantities. You can still garden with lead in the soil; however, you will need to take steps to protect yourself.

Test pH

You can test your soil’s pH with a test kit from a hardware store. Soil pH will affect which plants you can grow since it affects how plants absorb nutrients. Your soil will be tested on a scale from 0 to 14. The neutral zone is from 6.5 to 7.0 with the lower numbers indicating acidic soil and higher ones indicating alkaline soil. As with soil type, you should test the soil in several areas in case there are spots with high or low pH.