2025 Early Bird Discounts are Live! All Spring 2025 Kits are 20-30% off!
leftBack to blog

Identifying Your Garden’s Soil Type

Discover a simple method to identify your garden's soil type and determine whether you have sand, loam, or clay soil.

Written by: Abby Campbell
Posted: August 15, 2024 | 6 Min Read
The three primary soil types, sand, loam and clay.

What type of soil do you have?

Soils are generally made up of a mixture of three types of weathered rock: sand, silt, and clay. The relative concentrations of these three types of rock will determine your soil type and its ability to retain moisture. A simple method called the Ribbon Test can help you determine what kind of soil is in your garden.

Sandy Soils (Well-Draining)

You might think of sand as being very fine, but it actually has the largest particle size of any soil component. The particles are so large in fact, you can easily see each individual particle - each grain of sand - with your eyes. This chunkiness allows for large gaps in between the grains of sand, causing sandy soil to drain fast and not retain much moisture. Several native plants love this type of well-draining soil and would make a great addition to any sandy-soiled garden. A few of these plants include Butterfly Weed, Stiff Coreopsis, and June Grass.

Loamy Soils (Moderate Drainage)

Loamy soil is a mixture of these three types of rock particles: clay, silt and sandy. Loam soils are preferred by many gardeners because they are porous enough to allow for decent drainage, but also retain some water, which can help ensure healthier plants. Native plants that prefer loamy soil include Purple Coneflower, and Black-Eyed Susans.

Clay soil is made up of microscopic mineral particles that leave little room for air or soil to pass through. This causes clay soils to retain a lot of moisture: soils heavy with clay often drain very slowly or even form pools of standing water after heavy rain or watering. Native plants like Sweet Joe Pye Weed, and New England Aster thrive in clay, and enjoy very moist soils in general. If you know your garden soil is mostly clay, check for garden collections and native plants with this symbol.

My Home Park uses these icons to indicate the soil preferences for each native plant collection.

My Home Park uses these icons to indicate the soil preferences of each native plant collection.

When planning your native plant garden, classifying your yard’s soil type is helpful if not essential to ensuring you select the right plants. Native plants will thrive in the right conditions, and each plant has its own soil preferences. Here's a simple method, called The Ribbon Test, to determine your soil type. All you need is your yard’s soil and some water!

Follow these three simple steps to determine your garden's soil type:

1. Gather Your Soil: Take a handful of soil from your yard where you plan to plant.

2. Add Water: Moisten the soil until it can be shaped into a ball.

3. Form a Ribbon: Using your thumb and forefinger, gently pinch the soil ball and slowly form a “ribbon” that extends away from your thumb. The texture and behavior of this ribbon will give you insight into your soil type.

Depending on the consistency of the soil and how well the ribbon holds together, you'll discover it the soil can be classified by one of these three soil types:

Clay: the ribbon sticks together and has the consistency of play-dough.

Sand: the ribbon is very gritty and doesn’t hold any shape.

Loam: the ribbon is gritty but holds some shape.

Understanding your soil type is essential for selecting the right native plants that will thrive in your garden. With this knowledge in hand, you're one step closer to creating a beautiful, sustainable landscape. At My Home Park, we make it easy by offering plant collections tailored to your specific soil and ecoregion. Explore our curated gardens and find the perfect plants for your yard—start your journey to a thriving native garden today!