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Soil types and soil health principles
Understanding the inherent properties of different soil types can inform soil health management approaches.
Back to: Principles to improve soil health
Sandy soils
Biological
- Know: Low capacity to hold organic matter
- Act: Add organic matter regularly to maintain biological activity
- Act: Use composted organic matter to improve soil structure and stability
- Act: Move to ley-arable rotations in very sandy soils, where possible
Chemical
- Know: Low cation exchange capacity
- Act: Lime little and often to maintain pH
- Act: Manage nutrients to match supply and demand
Physical
- Know: Drought risk is significant
- Act: Avoid trafficking wet subsoil
- Act: Install and maintain drainage where groundwater is high
Image © Environment Agency, thinksoils
Medium soils
Biological
- Know: Slow to change organic matter content
- Act: Add organic matter regularly to maintain biological activity
- Act: Monitor organic matter levels, at least every five years
- Act: Add diversity to the crop rotation, while maintaining seasonal flexibility
Chemical
- Know: Some capacity to buffer changes in pH and nutrients
- Act: Monitor pH, P and K regularly
- Act: Manage nutrients to match supply and demand
Physical
- Know: Assess soil structure to know its workability and trafficability limits
- Act: Optimise timeliness of operations to minimise damage
- Act: Install and maintain drainage
Image © Environment Agency, thinksoils
Heavy (clay) soils
Biological
- Know: Naturally high in organic matter
- Act: Add organic matter regularly to maintain biological activity
- Act: Use composted organic matter to improve soil structure and stability
- Act: Move to ley-arable rotations, where possible
Chemical
- Know: High cation exchange capacity and some clay soils have good reserves of K
- Act: Develop good rotational strategies to manage lime, P and K
- Act: Optimise seedbed quality to maximise nutrient use efficiency
Physical
- Know: Waterlogging can be a major issue, especially in soils without active roots
- Act: Optimise timeliness of operations to minimise damage
- Act: Install and maintain drainage
Image © Environment Agency, thinksoils
Useful links
Read more about the properties of different soil types
See how soils are classified into different texture classes
Read the Principles of soil management guide
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