1. Soil Make-Up Georgia Agricultural Education Curriculum
Course: Basic Agricultural Science and Technology
Unit 17, Lesson 2

2. Objectives Explain the ways soil can be described.
Use the soil triangle to determine soil texture class.

3. Soil Mineral Matter
Sand
Silt
Clay

4. Particle Size
Sand is any particle that ranges from 2.0 to 0.05 mm in size
Silt is any soil particle that ranges from 0.05 to mm in size
Clay is any soil particle that is less than mm in diameter

5. Particle Size

6. Soil Texture Sand, silt and clay together form a soil’s texture.
Soil texture is determined by the percentage of sand, silt and clay in the soil.

7. Soil Triangle Each side of the triangle represents a soil separate.
The numbers along the side are the percentages of soil particles of that type.
Soil classes

8. Soil Triangle The classes can be divided into three broad categories:
Course
Medium
Fine

9. Soil Texture affects…
Compaction
Ease of tillage
Drainage
Capacity

10. Soil Texture Properties

11. Soil Drainage Texture governs the way water behaves in the soil.
Water enters (infiltration) and drains through (percolation).
Which soil types would hold more water?