It is measured on a scale of 1 to 14. The correct pH for your plants is important because certain nutrients are only available to plants within a specific pH range. The ideal soil texture is loam. The ribbon test will determine the percentage of clay in your soil and the jar test shows approximate proportions of sand, silt and clay. The ideal subsoil structure is blocky, with cubes of soil and vertical openings.
Compacted soil has few air and water pore spaces and tends to be poorly drained.
A compacted layer in annual beds can be broken up by double digging or deeply tilling the soil below the hardpan layer and mixing in generous amounts of organic matter. In some soils the thickness of the hardpan layer may require building raised beds or planting in a different location. Five Soil Tests 1. Ribbon Test Take a handful of moist soil and roll it in your hand to the size of a ping-pong ball. Squeeze the soil ball between your thumb and fingers in the palm of your hand to make a ribbon.