Performing a touch-feel test The texture of soil can tell you so much. It can tell you about the nutrient holding potential of the soil, the moisture holding potential of the soil, how likely the soil is to be cold in the Spring, how easily plant roots will be able to penetrate the soil....indeed much more than a simple pH test will ever do.
Yes the pH test will tell you the pH, and in turn this will give you an idea to what nutrients may or may not have potential availability in the soil (just by having an ideal pH it doesn't mean there's nutrients in the soil, in the same way as me having a toaster doesn't mean I have bread in the cupboard to make toast with), it just means that if there's nutrients there that they'll be available to your plants.
By performing a simple touch-feel test on your soil (see here) you can understand more about the potential of your soil.
The colour can also tell you so much, Grey or Blue is a sign of water-logging, black or peaty is a sign of uncomposted organic matter (doubled with a noticeable odour), whereas Brown is a sign of well humified organic matter. Blocky lumps in a top soil later can be sign of surface compaction, potentially caused by working a poor textured soil in wet weather....a percentage of air, say 25% in soil, is essential for healthy soil...
Yes the pH test will tell you the pH, and in turn this will give you an idea to what nutrients may or may not have potential availability in the soil (just by having an ideal pH it doesn't mean there's nutrients in the soil, in the same way as me having a toaster doesn't mean I have bread in the cupboard to make toast with), it just means that if there's nutrients there that they'll be available to your plants.
By performing a simple touch-feel test on your soil (see here) you can understand more about the potential of your soil.
The colour can also tell you so much, Grey or Blue is a sign of water-logging, black or peaty is a sign of uncomposted organic matter (doubled with a noticeable odour), whereas Brown is a sign of well humified organic matter. Blocky lumps in a top soil later can be sign of surface compaction, potentially caused by working a poor textured soil in wet weather....a percentage of air, say 25% in soil, is essential for healthy soil...
 Colour difference between Top & Sub Soils |  Clumpy top soil |
2015 is the UN Year of the Soils
