The touch test is one of the methods used to roughly assess a soil's texture. This test involves rubbing a bit of dry or moist soil between your fingers and noting its characteristics. Here is the classification of soil groups and the characteristics to observe.
Touched test (approximated method)
| Soil texture |
Dry soil |
Moist soil |
|---|
| Sandy soil |
- Grains of sand are visible to the naked eye.
- The soil runs between your fingers like sugar.
- The soil is very gritty and rough.
|
- The soil doesn’t clump together easily, and breaks apart when prodded with a finger.
- The soil isn’t sticky between your fingers; it is rough and gritty.
|
| Silty soil |
- The soil looks powdery or floury.
- The soil feels soft.
|
- The soil is very soft and slippery, like soap.
- It can be rolled into a coil, which breaks apart if you try to bend it.
- The soil isn’t very sticky.
|
| Clay soil |
- The soil contains very hard lumps that are difficult to break apart.
|
- The soil is very sticky; it is smooth and shiny.
- The soil is easy to mould; it can be rolled between the fingers into a long, flexible coil.
|
| Loam |
- The soil is a bit gritty.
- The clumps will not break if handled carefully.
|
- The soil is slightly sticky and gritty.
- If rolled between the fingers, the soil will form a coil that cracks slightly.
|
You can also use the jar of water test method to roughly determine the texture of a soil yourself. To get more detailed and precise information on the soil (texture, nutrients, pH and organic matter level), it is better to turn to a laboratory analysis.
