Thread: Sandy Soil
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Old November 5, 2016   #2
AlittleSalt
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Just answering a small part of what you wrote above - Sand takes a lot of weathering to turn in to silt, and silt eventually weathers into clay. This explains it to a point https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_texture

Sand comes from weatherization of the rocks, minerals, and elements in any given area. But in the case of sand and silt - it can be brought in from a long way away in the form of sand/dust storms. We have sand storms blown in from west Texas. Whatever that sand and silt is composed of may not be what is natural for this part of Texas. One way or another, it becomes part of our soil. Silt is blown in - in sand/dust storms easier because it is smaller in diameter and lighter in weight than sand.

I know that really didn't answer your question, "But what is SAND ?" scientifically, but to know exactly what your sand is made up of would take a diagnostic test to determine what your soil is made of.

As a means of comparison, the soil in my Texas garden is mostly a silty loam. If you dig down a couple feet, you'll find different colors of clay soil. It is actually kind of fun seeing the different colors of clay here when digging deep enough. Red clay is what you find most here, but you can find brown, yellow, white, and blue clay. I'm guessing the red clay comes from iron rock. Iron rock is found here everywhere. The brown clay probably comes from the sandstone that we have so much of. As far as white, yellow, and blue clay - I'm saving that to learn about at a later date.

As far as dried leaves go, they actually decompose faster after mowing/mulching them and turning them into your soil. I don't have scientific findings - I just know it happens out of experience.
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