Testing Soil Texture - Mason Jar Soil Test

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Learn how to determine the amounts / percentages of sand, clay, and silt in your soil with this simple comprehensive test. In this step by step procedure you will see what materials you need and each step along the way. I also have a discussion as to ways to improve soil at the end, with some examples from my own garden and yard.
Helpful References:
This is the step by step article on this video. It is great for quick reference when you actually do the test - so save it to your favorites.
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Link to USDA Soil Pyramid Calculator:
www.nrcs.usda....
You should also consider performing a soil drainage test at the same time as the mason jar test. These two tests go hand in hand, in that one may assume they have clay when in fact they have a loam that is just over compacted.
See here for video on performing the Soil Drainage Test:
• How to Test Soil Drainage
pH meter - it works well for quickly evaluating a sites suitability from a pH standpoint - amzn.to/2Mvo8g5 (affiliate link)
How to make a basic compost pile - save to favorites for a quick reference
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See our collection of videos on how to improve your garden -
• How to Determine Soil ...
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Опубликовано:

29 сен 2024

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Комментарии : 105

@thomashoward8020 2 года назад

How do you do what you do? That pepper changed my view on vegitables?

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

Leaf mulch and compost! That is my only secret Thomas.

@doubleupgut 2 года назад

Adding calcium will help structure compacted clay soils and increase aerobic bacteria and fungi. This is also why dandelions show up in dense clay soils in a attempt to bio-accumulate the calcium trapped deep beneath the top soil.

@theorphanedchicken1839 Год назад

I drew a line at the silt layer after 2 hours, but it’s been about a day now and the silt sank below the line I drew. Do I just measure the clay that’s above the silt line I drew?

@growitbuildit Год назад

That seems odd that it sank. Did you sift it through a kitchen strainer? I would record these results, but then would probably repeat the test, making sure it is really sifted and mixed.

@KaidaMizu 3 года назад

If you mark 50mm on the jar and fill it with soil to that line then you only need to wait for the sand and silt to settle. You measure them, double the measurements gives you the percentage and whatever percentage is left must be the clay.

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

That sounds right. I don't think anything should swell up. Your comment is a time saver.

@lilbear19601 Год назад

I resemble the active equation, results.

@gravlaz 16 дней назад

methodical, precise and onto point. thanks

@growitbuildit 16 дней назад

You are very welcome.

@UkjentDimensjon 3 года назад

For the clay he said "clay divided by silt" but he meant minus.

@ShelljetA1 2 года назад

Excellent video Sir! I am currently studying horticulture your description of the process is spot on.

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

Thank you! I try to be as accurate and informative as I can.

@Crayola24pcs-vr6bl Год назад

Repent for your sins and believe in jesus now he died for you and me

@CC-vr6fm 2 года назад

Hello ! Is it possible to perform the test without detergent ? I am worried about the ecological impact of the detergent

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

The detergent helps get everything separated. You could try to find some biodegradable granular soap - not sure how well it would work, but should be better for environment.

@russellbowlby6313 Год назад

Why did the metric system I live in the United States

@OffGridHawaii 2 года назад

Best video I’ve seen on this topic. Mahalo

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

Thank you!

@argirismouroufas3854 9 месяцев назад

Happy new year from Greece! I want to make fire bricks sir. I have to use all of them? (Sand, clay, silt )

@growitbuildit 9 месяцев назад

Hi - and happy new year to you. I'm sorry, but I have no expertise in making bricks. This test just tells you what your soil composition is. I suppose if you had a bucket with a spigot at the bottom, you could shovel your soil into it, and then just drain the spigot into another container with a cheese cloth after sixty seconds. This should leave the sand and silt in the first bucket, but allow the water/clay mixture to go to a cheese cloth.

@sumer122889 3 года назад

Amazing video. Explained simply and directly without talking about all the unnecessary bits. I have one question tho, can the same test be done using powdered laundry detergent?

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Hi Sumer - first, thank you for the kind words! I am not sure if powdered laundry detergent would work. They are different types of soap. One person in these comments used liquid laundry detergent and ended up with a gooey mess. That being said, regular liquid soap for dish washing may work ok, as it is a bit lighter.

@theurzamachine 3 года назад

I thought I had heavy clay soil until I did this test and found that I have 50% sand, 35% silt and 15% clay. My question is: what is the ideal ratio of organic to inorganic material in good soil?

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Hi Philip - I don't think I can answer that question. I have no way to actually measure it, as you need access to an autoclave or some sort of really hot oven. You get a sample, weigh it dry, then cook it to something like 400F. The organic matter burns off, and then weigh it again. But the short answer to your question, what I do - is add as much organic matter (compost, leaf mulch) as I can. I don't worry about ratios.

@Vixacious7 2 месяца назад

Super informative video! Thank you.

@growitbuildit 2 месяца назад

You are very welcome! Glad you found it helpful

@masiacanny9389 3 года назад

Good piece of information. Currently doing my construction tech assignment and I gotta say, this is was a ton load of help. Thank you 🙏🏾

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Thank you Masia! I'm very happy you found it useful. Can I ask you how you found the video? Was it just RU-vid searching or was it in some class material?

@masiacanny9389 3 года назад

@@growitbuildit yup, RU-vid searching

@masiacanny9389 3 года назад

@@growitbuildit how exactly do you make use of the usda to determine the soil type. Been struggling

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Hi - you have to follow on the triangle, or use their calculator for determining the exact type. The soil type is directly applicable to construction projects, depending on what you are building. For gardening it has implications for potential fertility & nutrients. For reading the USDA soil triangle, you just have to follow the lines. Or use the calculator by entering in 2 of the %'s. www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/tools/?cid=nrcs142p2_054167 Clay is represented on the Right Side, by horizontal lines. Sand is represented on the bottom, from lines that run from the bottom up and to the left (to the clay side). Silt is on the right side of the triangle, and runs down to the sand. If you look at the angle the 'numbers' are, they correspond to lines that run the same direction. You just need to find where the lines all cross, or at least get as close as you can. Then you can see what the area is represented as.

@abilitylemur112 3 года назад

Great video. Very informative. Thanks man.

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

You are quite welcome.

@Grayald Год назад

*does test. Checks jar after 2 days. Top half of jar filled with dirty water. Bottom half filled with a single thick layer of gravy* Why can't anything be easy...

@growitbuildit Год назад

So you have 100% clay? That makes life interesting. Compost, compost, compost. Organic matter will have to help you.

@Grayald Год назад

@@growitbuildit That's all I can figure. Couldn't even see any sand at the very bottom. I'm going to try mixing it with some topsoil from the store to break it up a bit, then add peat moss and the manure and hopefully that will make it usable.

@markdensterbrillantes3888 7 дней назад

Should the soil be air-dried?

@growitbuildit 7 дней назад

Hi - it doesn't matter. The main thing is to run it through a strainer.

@firstdonuts 2 месяца назад

did everything as you did. I just get one uniform conglomerate of soil. Im not sure if im looking at clay, sand, or silt, but its all the same eith water on top.

@growitbuildit 2 месяца назад

If it only took a minute to settle, then it is probably sand. If the level didn't settle for longer, then it is probably silt or clay

@firstdonuts 2 месяца назад

@growitbuildit So I just opted to do it again. And perhaps this can serve as a little pointer for other people. I think I made the mistake of sifting my soil too much. My soil does have fine particulates when you dig it up, but the majority of the soil is actually small clumps that I was sifting out entirely. So I'm guessing that by doing this, I was essentially sifting out the clay and sand that is mostly found in the small compact lumps of soil. After doing it again, and keeping the compact clumps of dirt (which break apart when you shake it anyways) I can now see a very clear separation of sand, silt, and a tiny bit of clay on top. 👍 Ty for the video mate. On my way to making a beautiful garden

@growitbuildit 2 месяца назад

Thanks for repeating the test. I agree that your results will likely help others. Good luck!

@argirismouroufas3854 9 месяцев назад

Any way, thanks a lot ypu do good job.

@growitbuildit 9 месяцев назад

You are welcome. And thank you for the kind words

@trishap2815 Год назад

How does top dressing help clay/compacted soil underneath??

@growitbuildit Год назад

The organic matter trickles down naturally and from worms moving it. And as it decomposes it turns into a glue-like substance that bonds small soil particles together, which are called peds. These peds clump up by themselves, but separate from each other forming pathways for water to infiltrate as well as plant roots.

@shannongood8598 Год назад

Thank you for this excellent video! I really appreciate your getting to the information without a bunch of obnoxious music and unnecessary video footage. That just takes up time without giving us what we're here for. It seems to be the norm, unfortunately. I have a question about taking soil samples in wet weather. Here is Western Washington, the soils are saturated for 4-5 months. I'm planning a drip irrigation system and my first step is determining my soil structure. Should I dry my soil samples before sieving to get more accurate results? I'd like to get the sampling done now, since it's too wet to do any work outside. Thanks again!

@growitbuildit Год назад

Hi Shannon - I think your idea is a good one. Drying the soils should make sieving the soils easier.

@zayinkaph 10 месяцев назад

This is outstanding sir. Thank you! I was wondering if there was a simple way to test my OK clay soil AND drainage without having to spend a ton of money. Perfect information I can use and run with!!

@growitbuildit 10 месяцев назад

You are welcome! Good luck figuring out your texture! For improving your soil, I strongly suggest you watch my leaf mulch videos. I've been doing it for four years, documenting the improvements to top-soil depth. This was the first one - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-kyYpGNZOCwE.html

@wyominghome4857 2 года назад

My new property next to the Wind River is silty loam. It drains well, but it's dry from years of neglect and the low rainfall in this area (11 inches). In my test flower beds I've noticed that simply adding sufficient water is enough to bring back lots of earthworms, but what can I add or plant to improve the soil's ability to retain water?

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

Hi - my best advice for getting the soil to hold more water is to add as much organic matter as you can get your hands on. I would make as much compost as possible, mulch, everything. I have no idea what your situation is in Wyoming, but I would be scrounging for everything I could get.

@shafasha5461 2 года назад

Thanks for the video. I have two questions, I did the test and then wait for it to settle (60 seconds for sand, 2 hours for silt, and 48 hours for clay). But the mark i did in 60 seconds and 2 hours became invalid as the line of silt layer descended downwards after i leave it for 2 days. Even the 2 days clay layer is settled under the first silt layer. Should i follow the first mark or remark them with the newest layer line? Second question, I've seen different time requirements for this method. Its 60 seconds for sand, 1 hour for silt, and 24 hour for clay. May i know why its different?

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

Hi Shafa, I would use the first lines you marked. Some silt or clay may settle in other layers if the others are a bit coarse. In regards to different times, I can't answer specifically why it is different. But the the seemingly large differences probably don't result in huge differences in results.

@shannongood8598 Год назад

Another question: After measuring the silt layer, what about adding a big pinch of aluminum sulfate (alum) to the sample water as a flocculant to settle out the clay? This is how I settle out solids in muddy water before filtering it when hiking in desert river canyons. In a few hours, the water is clear. I'm not certain how this would react to the chemicals already introduced in the dishwashing detergent.

@growitbuildit Год назад

I really can't comment as to if that would be a good idea or not. I know that you can get great results just using the powdered dish detergent, as that helps separate the particles well. Perhaps you could do two samples, trying one with using the aluminum sulfate after the silt has settled out. That would make for a very interesting experiment. If the results from both jars were the same, then you would have a quicker way to perform this test.

@she_sows_seeds Год назад

Thank you for the info! I've recently moved house and I want to start planning what to plant where but first I'm going to test the soil and see what I'm working with. I'm trying to avoid having to lift my dahlias every year so aiming for an area that isn't clay heavy etc. I wasn't sure how to go about it but your video has made me confident I can test accurately. Thanks!

@growitbuildit Год назад

Excellent - I'm glad I could help you out!

@1star_god 2 года назад

Im confused as to how adding compost could both create more drainage and halt drainage... is it based on where u put it? Or maybe how u apply it?

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

Hi - the organic matter will help break up compacted and clay soil, improving drainage. The worms help facilitate this as well. When it comes to sandy soil, the compost can hold moisture pretty well, so that helps improve water retention. It's a win/win.

@AbudallahMaswanku Год назад

😮

@george200099 3 года назад

I love your website!

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Thanks man. I appreciate that!

@70vnv 3 года назад

Excellent video!

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Thank you! I'm really happy you liked it!

@workushitahun6074 3 года назад

how soil texture affects the relation between the soil water content and suanetion or tensin,by supporting graphicaly with intepration

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Hi Worku - this illustrates the relationship well. It basically shows that sandy soils hold less water than loam. And that loam holds less water than clay. kbsgk12project.kbs.msu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Soil-and-Water-Relationships.pdf

@MarkizVonSchnitzel 3 года назад

I used detergent for clothes, and one of my jars, is like a goo with trapped air and even sand does not want to settle for a long time.

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Ooooh that isn't good. The powder type works well.

@roiklinterjunas2788 9 месяцев назад

Link please

@growitbuildit 9 месяцев назад

Here you are - growitbuildit.com/mason-jar-soil-test-clay-sand-silt/

@sheilaquattrocchi9274 2 года назад

Great video!! Thank you so much! I have a test in progress now. My question, however, is that after marking the first "sand line", I marked the silt line at the two-hour mark. However, 4 hours after that, the solution has settled more and the silt has now settled almost a 1/4" more. Sooooo, do I re-mark the silt line or go with the original line at the two-hour mark?

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

Hi Sheila - I would just let the test run out marking as needed. But if the final levels are different then the initial marks, I would probably use the final level. Or, calculate it both ways if you got the marks. I bet you get the same/similar result.

@sheilaquattrocchi9274 2 года назад

@@growitbuildit Thanks so much for your reply. I think I'm going to go with the final results (3 days in) as the silt and clay levels appear to be very clearly defined now - and the silt level is notably much lower than the line I drew for it at the two-hour mark. Again, I sincerely appreciate your taking the time to reply. Sorry for my delayed reply, but I have been out of town with no Internet access - if you can imagine that! Ha! Ha! I am awaiting a fairly thorough soil test from VA Tech that I should have this next week. Am anxious to see what it reveals.

@codallthetime7045 Год назад

ours is in dishwashing liquid and mine have started to bubble like aloottt of bubbles when i shake it. Do you think it will still work?

@growitbuildit Год назад

It might work - time will tell. Let me know how it goes. But once the bubbles die down, as long as the soil looks properly stratified, it is probably ok.

@codallthetime7045 Год назад

@@growitbuildit hey, it works! but the bubbles still present, thanks.

@xiongjun6743 2 года назад

I did this test, I filled the jar about 1/4 at the bottom, added in detergent, shaked it for 15 min, and after 4 days, the clay layer is settled but the mark is about 2/3 from the bottom of the jar. And I know the water absortion is much higher in caly than sand and silt because of its large specific surface area. I am now questioning the validity of the % calculation used in this method because much of the thickness is increased due to water absorption. I wonder if there should be a correction factor for sand, silt and clay?

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

The fill went from 25% to 66%? That seems odd. What were your raw results? Also, was your sand component very coarse?

@aidwilli Год назад

@@growitbuildit the clay is an expansive clay based on his result.

@-sol-8350 Год назад

Did you mean subtract and not divide when you were calculating the clay?

@growitbuildit Год назад

Ho Sol- yes, you are correct. I misspoke at that spot in the video. In summary you just need to divide the layer thickness by the overall sample thickness, or height.

@-sol-8350 Год назад

@@growitbuildit Ok I got it.

@fishingwithrissa2372 3 года назад

we did not sift the soil, but we did dig it out of the ground

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

If your results looked good, then you should be fine. But in the past I had noticed 'chunks' of clay where there shouldn't have been any.

@ShaneLinkMarshall Год назад

Subscribed* Great video sir

@growitbuildit Год назад

Thank you Shane!

@prabinakattel3785 3 года назад

What is what

@workushitahun6074 3 года назад

please help me

@michaelkonen 3 года назад

Great video. Thanks for sharing. Unfortunately it's quite difficult for me to see the sand/silt lines. Honestly everything looks like one clay-like color! Any tips for deciphering the sand/silt lines?

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Hi Michael, the best way would probably be to check with your finger or even a stick to identify the height as best you can. If you can't see it, maybe you could feel it.

@michaelkonen 3 года назад

@@growitbuildit Thanks for the common sense/creative solution & the great video. I've decided to do completely new tests (no dishwashing liquid, but dishwashing powder) to get accurate results. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with the rest of us.

@georgearias7336 2 года назад

Great explanation

@growitbuildit 2 года назад

Thank you George

@andreapolese9782 3 года назад

Very good video

@growitbuildit 3 года назад

Thank you Andrea. I'm glad you liked it.

@Jaredkprimalhealth Год назад

looking forward to learning about this

@growitbuildit Год назад

Hope it was helpful

@Jaredkprimalhealth Год назад

@@growitbuildit very helpful!

@Jaredkprimalhealth Год назад

@@growitbuildit I am in central FL. My soil drains so fast its almost like there is no soil there LOL. I dug a hole and poured a wheel barrel full of water down it, the water was completely gone in like a few minutes. I was thinking about adding clay. What do you think? Where could I get clay from. Or should I just add cow manure, worm castings etc...

@growitbuildit Год назад

You could add some clay, b7t it will take a lot to move it into a sandy loam. My biggest recommendation would be as much compost as you can make, and add it.

@Jaredkprimalhealth Год назад

@@growitbuildit Yea that makes sense. Do you know where to find clay to buy? I think I will add just a little bit over time/ on the top layer. With the compost