Fortunately, soils with texture-related problems can be improved. Soil Texture Classifications Soil texture is determined by the relative proportion of sand, silt and clay found in a given soil. Sand is gritty to the touch and the individual grains or particles can be seen with the naked eye. It is the largest of the three size classes of soil particles. A soil in which sand predominates is classified, logically enough, as a sand-textured soil or simply a sandy soil.
Sandy soils are coarse in texture.
Silt is smooth and slippery to the touch when wet, and the individual particles are much smaller than those of sand. These individual particles can only be seen with the aid of a microscope. Silt-textured or silty soils contain relatively large amounts of silt. Clay is sticky and plastic-like to handle when wet. The individual particles are extremely small and can only be seen with the aid of an electron microscope.