### soil:

Clay soil
* absorbs approximately one half inch of water per hour.
* are best for lining ponds because they minimize leakage
  - easy to compact
  - known to have poor infiltration and drainage
* are less likely than sandy ones to be short of nutrients
  - susceptible when crusts are dry
  - often very compact with little aeration
  - rare, so permanent fixing of ammonium to sediments is negligible in most areas
  - rich in tiny mineral particles that are attracted to each other
  - thick with small particles and tiny air spaces
  - usually sticky and waterlogged
* can be hard to water because it absorbs the water very slowly
  - very slippery for horse hoofs when wet
* drain and dry slowly
  - poorly and are harder to manage but can be improved by adding organic matter
* dry out between waterings slower than sandy soils.
* has a tendency to become compacted, which prevents water from sinking into the ground
  - very small particles and practically no spaces
* have a high water holding capacity
  - more complex flow mechanism
  - much larger surface area per weight due to their small size
  - very high field capacity, but sandy soils have a very low field capacity
* have more capacity to tie-up and hold phosphorus in place than do coarse soils
  - nutrient and water storage than sandy soils
  - poor structure and very small spaces between particles
* have small particles which have small air pores
  - soil particles and feel sticky
  - the ability to hold more water than sandy soils
* have very small particles and are capable of holding a great deal of water
  - that pack closely together
* holds the most water and sandy soil the least
  - water very well
* is composed of fine particles that retain water and block access to air
  - hard when dry and sticky when wet
  - made up of particles, smaller than sand grains, that cling together
  - mostly clay and is made mostly of small pieces of mineral other than quartz
  - red and it can hold a lot of water
  - sticky and feels like plastic
* is the densest soil because of the small size of non-living particles
  - last to dry out
  - preferred material for mounds
  - typically very fine-grained and is able to retain water very easily
  - used as a flooring material
* needs organic matter and lots of it.
* require less frequent but heavier watering than sandy soils.
* requires a sprinkler with a low precipitation rate
  - more pressure to form a ball than loam soil
* slows movement of water because pore spaces are very small.
* stick together.
* tend to be heavy and difficult to work when dry
  - form hard, persistent clods

Coarse soil
* are able to store less available water than fine textured ones
  - dominated by sand and have very little silt and clay
* lumps in the seedbed increase soil moisture loss and reduce seed germination.

Coastal soil
* Some coastal soils are deep sands that are well drained or excessively drained.
* are generally sandy with organic muck type soils in central parts of the state.

Cold soil
* are characteristic of taiga regions, which overlaps the zone of permafrost
  - usually only a problem in heavy textured soils
* can promote wilting by slowing root water uptake.