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Laboratory Exercise No. 2

Determining Soil Texture by Feel Method

The texture of the soil directly affects its capacity to hold water or moisture because the
mineral particles of the soil differ widely in size – sand is 2.0 to 0.5 millimeter (mm) in diameter, silt
is 0.5 to 0.002 mm, and clay is less than 0.002 mm. The relative amount or particle size distribution
of sand, silt and clay that constitutes the soil determines its texture. This is usually determined in
the laboratory through sieve analysis. Once the amount of sand, silt and clay are known, the soil
texture is then determined with the aid of a soil texture triangle (Appendix Figure 1).

There are 12 distinct soil texture classifications used by the United States Department of
Agriculture (USDA). The farmers, however, are not keen on these classifications. Instead, they
often talk of coarse- or light- textured soils, medium-textured soils and fine- or heavy-textured
soils. Light soils include sand and loamy sand, which feel gritty; while sandy loam, loam, silt loam
and silt are medium soils, which feel like flour when dry and smooth when wet. Heavy soils are
silty clay loam, silty clay and clay, which feel brittle when dry and sticky when wet.

This laboratory exercise will be conducted by a group of five members. While the final
report is the same for the group, it should be submitted individually, however. Note that pictures
should be included in the final report to show proof that each member and the whole group
indeed conducted the required activities.

After accomplishing the required activities, you should be able to determine the soil
texture by using the feel method.

Qty Description/Specification

1 pc Shovel
2 pcs Pails (big and small, minimum 16 li capacity)
5 pcs Vinyl plastic bag
1 pc Ruler
1 unit Composite soil sample from at least 5 sampling site)
2 li Water
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The following Steps 1 to 6 are to be accomplished by each member of the group so that
there will be at least 5 composite soil samples in this activity:

Step 1 Find an area in your barangay as sample site, preferably a field being planted with
field crops.

Step 2 In the sample site, select at random at least five sampling points.

The sampling point should be away from a drainage or irrigation canal.

Step 3 In the sampling point, remove rubbish, trash, grasses and other debris on the soil
surface.

Step 4 Push down the shovel in a vertical position to a depth of about 20 centimeters and
get a slice of soil sample approximately 2 cm thick and 10 cm wide.

Place this in a container, which will be part of the composite sample.

Step 5 Repeat Steps 3 and 4 in the other four sampling points.

Step 6 In a vinyl plastic bag, pour together the collected soil samples taken from the five
sampling points then break clods and mix thoroughly.

This will be one of the five composite soil samples to be used in this exercise.
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At this juncture, the group shall convene and perform Step 7. Note that the 5 composite soil
samples from each member will be the test materials for this activity.

Step 7 To determine the soil texture using the feel method, follow the sub-steps below in
relation to the flow chart reflected in Appendix Figure 2.

In order to determine the soil texture by feel method, the soil must be
Sub-step 7.1 moistened. Start with a small handful of soil, about the size of a golf ball, and
slowly add water a drop at a time, mixing as you go, until you have a ball of
soil that has the consistency of a putty as shown in the figure below.

Source: Ritchey, McGrath & Gehring (2015)

If the ball of soil stays intact, gently press the ball between your thumb and
Sub-step 7.2 index finger, trying to work it out to form a ribbon about 2 mm thick and 1 cm
wide as shown in the figure below. The longer the ribbon, the more clay there
is in the soil. Using a ruler, measure how long the ribbon is before it falls apart,
and record the data in Table 1 in the Assessment Tasks.
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Source: Ritchey, McGrath & Gehring (2015)

Note of the following Ribbon Classification of your soil:

Sub-step 7.3
 Good ribbon – a soil containing more than 40 percent clay is sticky
enough to form a ribbon 2 inches long or longer.

 Fair ribbon – a soil containing 27 to 40 percent clay is sticky enough to form

a ribbon at least 1 inch long but not longer than 2 inches.

 No ribbon – the ribbon formed by a soil containing less than 27 percent

clay will be less than 1 inch long.

After completing the ribbon test (Sub-steps 7.1 to 7.3), take another pinch of
Sub-step 7.4 soil and place it on your palm. Slowly add water until you have a muddy
puddle as shown in the figure overleaf. Using your index finger, rub the mud
puddle against your palm and determine if the soil feels gritty, smooth, or
sticky (the “feel” characteristics of sand, silt and clay, respectively).
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Source: Ritchey, McGrath & Gehring (2015)

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Due Date: ASAP but not later than ____________________________________.

Penalty for Late Submission: 5 points deduction per day of delay

1. For each member of the group, gather soil samples from a field in your barangay (at least 5
sample sites). Mix these soil samples thoroughly to form a composite sample. Perform
quartering procedure until only about 100 grams soil sample is left. Provide pictures at the left
side of this page. (30 pts)

2. Bring your composite soil sample to class and convene the group. Provide a picture of each
soil sample and paste it at the back of this page. (10 pts).

3. Determine the soil texture of each soil sample using the feel method. Fill out Table 1 below.
(50 pts)

Table 1. Soil texture as determined by feel method

Soil Sample Observations/Description Soil Texture
1

5
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Draw conclusions as to the things you have learned and/or experienced out of this exercise.
(10 pts)
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Source: Norton (2011)

Appendix Figure 1. USDA soil Texture triangle

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Source: Colorado State University (n.d)

Appendix Figure 2. Flow diagram for determining soil texture by feel method
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Anonymous. (n.d). Determining soil texture by the feel method. Retrieved from
http://beslter.org/msp/.../Determining%20Soil%20Texture%20by%20Feel%20Method.pdf

Brown, K. (2018). Soil texture – Measuring in the field. Retrieved from

http://soilquality.org.au/factsheets/soil-texture

Colorado State University. (n.d). Soil texture by feel. Retrieved from

https://www.pinterest.ph/pin/169870217169717887/

International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage. (n.d). ICID [Logo]. Retrieved from
https://icid2019.com/international-commision-on-irrigation-and-drainage/

Lesikar, B., Hallmark, C., Melton, R. & Harris, B. (n.d). On-site wastewater treatment systems: Soil
particle analysis procedure. Retrieved from http://nctx-water.tamu.edu/media/1602/b-
6175.pdf

McDonald, R.C, Isbell, R.F., Speight, J.G., Walker, J. & Hopkins, M.S. (1998). Australian soil and
land survey handbook. Canberra: (Australian Collaborative Land Evaluation Program.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. (n.d). NASEM [Logo]. Retrieved
from http://sites.nationalacademies.org/PGA/biso/SS/index.htm

Norton, M. (2011). USDA soil texture triangle [Image]. Retrieved from

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:SoilTexture_USDA.png

Ritchey, E.L., McGrath, J.M. & Gehring, D. (2015). Determining soil texture by feel. Agriculture and
Natural Resources Publications. 139. Retrieved from
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1139&context=anr...

Sabia Landscaping and Tree Service. (n.d). SLTS [Logos]. Retrieved from
http://www.sabialandscaping.com/landscaping/seasonal-yard-garden-services/ and
http://www.sabialandscaping.com/irrigation-drainage/

Thien, S.J. (1979). A flow diagram for teaching texture by feel analysis. Journal of Agronomic
Education. 8:54-55.

United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service. (n.d). Guide
to texture by feel. Retrieved from
https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/edu/?cid=nrcs142p2_054311