Soil Types

Tim Foster
Updated at 2019-12-14 13:28:44 UTC
Topic: Netro App

The app asks me to define my soil type and gives me a small list to choose from. I'm no gardening expert by any means and so I'm not really sure I've got this right. I selected the most draining type based on nothing more that guesswork really. We're in Yucatán, México so the entire area is limestone rock, but this website (https://sites.google.com/site/soilsoftheyucatanpeninsula/soil-types) gives more detail about the soil types in Yucatán. All this has done though is confuse me more. 


Is there any reliable way that I can determine my soil type in Netro? The website says it's likely to be one (or a combination) of Gleysols, Histosols, Vertisols, Solonchaks, Leptosols, and Cambisols

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Netro Inc
Updated at 2019-12-16 06:31:55 UTC

Dear Tim, 


Base on the provided information, your soil is more likely to "clay loam" or "silty clay". 


There are three basic soil types in Netro: 

  • Clay soil is generally heavy and is compact in nature. Plants have a harder time developing roots in clay soil. Clay soil tends to retain water, but this is not always desirable.
  • Sandy soils are the opposite of clay and generally drain too fast, and so are unable to hold onto any nutrients long enough for a plant to use them.
  • Loamy soil is a rich, dark and crumbly soil that will allow drainage, but still retain enough moisture to be beneficial. If you grab a handful of loamy soil, it should not form a compact ball. It should remain loose and crumbly. Loam is the best type of soil for growing almost everything!
Please note that if you have put extra loamy soil on top when you build your yard, please select loamy, even though the original soil in your area is clay or sand. 

If you are still confused, you can just try with each type, check the smart schedules in the "schedule", and choose the one which meet your expectation best.