The sandy clay loam texture has a slightly gritty feel when moist. Fine-textured soils form very hard, massive lumps or clods when dry and are quite plastic and sticky when wet. The sandy clay texture may also have a slightly gritty feel when moist. Soil Depth Depth refers to the total thickness of the surface and subsoil plus any underlying material that is favorable for root development. Soils are categorized into several different soil depths.
Depth is an important factor of soils.
It determines the total amount of water held in the soil, the volume of soil available for plant root growth, and the supply of nutrients available to plants. Generally this material is underlain by bedrock, clay, or shale beds, or alluvial material. Deep soils have over 40 inches of soil that can be penetrated by plant roots. Moderately deep soils have over 20 inches of soil but less than 40 inches of soil that can be penetrated by plant roots. Shallow soils have over 10 inches but less than 20 inches of soil that can be penetrated by plant roots.