If you want the best for your land, good land management practices are necessary. And they start with how you set up your soil to deal with water. Water can move into soil to help the land instead of hurting it (such as flooding). But how? How does water move in soil?
How It Works
Different soils allow water to move through it at different rates. So it’s important to understand what your needs are, so you can choose which soil works best for you. In fact, water movement in the soil is the result of soil particle size, texture, and pore size. Water is constantly moving in soil, and gravity helps it move downward. But in capillary action, this is when the water is absorbed by the soil, and causes water to move side-to-side.
Sand
Sand is the largest particles out of the soil textures. And because of its large size, water is able to move quickly through sandy soils. On top of that, if the soil is granular, the water will move even faster through this soil if it’s traveling downward. However, platy soils tend to impede water’s progress, so the water moves slower.
Clay
Unfortunately, clay soils have a more dense texture. Therefore, water moves very slowly through these soils. And if the soil shape is prismatic or sub-angular blocky, these create a more roundabout route for the water to pass through the soil. In other words, the water will take a while to move through the soil.
Saturated hydraulic conductivity is the answer to how does water move in soil. But how does this affect you? Well water that travels downward can bring nutrients or contaminants to the soil. Therefore, it’s important to know where the water source is coming from, and what your land needs are.
For more help on understanding this, Topsoil Pros can explain it to you. Topsoil Pros is the leading topsoil company in the Somerset and Monmouth counties. Our customer service has made us the go-to company for topsoil. Contact Topsoil Pros today.
