- Determining soil texture and why it matters
- USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey provides the most comprehensive resource for mapped soils data.
- Determine approximate soil texture through the hand-feel/ribbon method or the “jar” method; many Web resources, including videos—search the internet for these terms.
- Soil texturing & sourcing soil fact sheet.
- Determining drainage rate
- Soil texture can provide clues about drainage, but is not a definitive guide (for instance, clay soils might still have adequate drainage capacity for many plants if there are larger particles not revealed in your test, or if the clay is a lens above freer-draining substrates).
- The easiest way to confirm drainage capacity in the area to be planted is to dig a DIY percolation test.
- Dig a hole at least 2 ft. x 2ft. and fill it with 8-12 inches of water.
- Track the amount of time that water takes to drain.
- Calculate drainage rate by dividing inches of water by hours to drain (e.g., 12 inches drains in 16 hours is 12 divided by 16 or 0.75 inches/hour)
- Drainage rates >0.5 inch/hour are “well draining.” Rates between 0.1 & 0.4 inch/hour are slow draining. Rates <0.1 inch/hour are extremely poorly draining.
- Determining if subsurface water (natural underground springs, perched groundwater, or seasonally high watertable) exists on site
- Determining if subsurface water (natural underground springs, perched groundwater, or seasonally high water table) exists on site
- Use Web-based mapped surveys, including the USDA NRCS Web Soil Survey and your county’s GIS mapping system (e.g., “Geodata”).
- During the rainy season, dig a pit test hole at least 2 ft. deep in the area intended for planting; seasonally subsurface water should either flood the hole or present as muddy soils are you near the bottom of the 2 ft. hole.
- Signs of natural subsurface water might include spongy soils and the presence of water-loving plants (such as skunk cabbage) seemingly out of place (e.g., no obvious signs of mucky soils/standing water).
- Learn how to confirm suspected subsurface natural springs, seasonally high groundwater, or perched groundwater by searching the internet for many Web resources on methods available.
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