APES in a box: Soil Profile

Cross sectional soil layers from the surface of the soil down to bedrock. Most common layers are the O horizon, A horizon, B horizon, C horizon. O horizon: Surface layer of partially and completely undecomposed plant residue such as leaf litter. A horizon: Uppermost layer of soil commonly known as topsoil. This layer contains large amounts of decomposing organic material known as hummus. Most living organisms dwell in the soil. B horizon: Layer commonly known as subsoil. Plant roots penetrate this area. There is much less hummus and more inorganic content than the A horizon. C horizon: Layer made predominantly by parent material for the soil. Parent material is the bedrock and large unbroken pieces of rock that are weathered to produce the inorganic components of soil.

APES in a box: Soil Triangle

Quality soil is made up of hummus, appropriate moisture content, living organisms in topsoil, physical structure of soil. Inorganic portion of soil is made up of particles of varying size including gravel, sand, silt and clay. Soil scientists use appropriate ratio of sand, silt and clay to categorize soils and give them names. A soil triangle is a tool that can be used to demonstrate the name of the soil if the percentages of sand, silt and clay are known. You take the percentages of each category and where the lines meet, that is where your type of soil is determined. Loam is the best agricultural soil. Loam has the best combination of water holding capacity, nutrient content and structure. The corners of triangles have not enough of one thing and too much of another. The corners have poor nutrient content. Difficult for the plants to grow in the corner areas.