Indeed, they provide ideal conditions due to their balanced proportion of each type of soil, bringing the benefits of each soil type.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-mobile-leaderboard-2','ezslot_23',119,'0','0'])); As you can read in one of my previous articles potting soil, in reality, is not soil. A chemical property is related to its interaction with chemicals and nutrients. Sand is a naturally occurring, finely divided rock, comprising particles or granules ranging in size from 0.0625 (or 1 ⁄ 16) to 2 millimeters. Two types of mudstone are shale and argillite, which is shale that has undergone very low-grade metamorphism. hc-sc.gc.ca. Soil is a crucial component for the success of your gardening experience. You will understand the main differences among these soils and how they types impact the development of your herbs. Indeed, most of the time there is no sand, clay or silt in it. However, if the balls are tiny, you will be more “pressed” so any external influence will not affect much your position. Plasticity. The smallest particles are clay particles and are classified as having diameters of less than 0.002 mm. It will be easier for them to develop. Indeed, even if the ideal pH is 7 for many, this does not mean that a 6.5 or a 7.5 pH is totally bad, plants are not that sensitive. Both systems use the results of grain size analysis and determinations of Atterberg limits to determine soil’s classification. Data obtained from Sieve Analysis Dr. Abdulmannan Orabi IUST 84 Sieve analysis Hydrometer analysis #10 #200#60 20 40 60 80 100 0 0.0010.010.1110 Particle diameter (mm) Percentfiner Sand FinesGravel 85. It is the largest of the three size classes of soil particles. Texture indicates the relative content of particles of various sizes, such as sand, silt and clay in the soil. Panicle size analysis Sand Slit Clay Textural class name - % by weight - 92.5 5.5 2.0 Sand 61.0 28.0 11.0 Sandy loam 40.0 41.0 19.0 Loam 20.0 61.0 19.0 Silt loam 3.589.0 7.5 Silt 28.5 42.0 31.0 Clay Loam 10.0 31.0 59.0 Clay released to plants easily. Aeration is the soil’s capability to let air pass through. Especially silt and clay are not very easy to find in the most common and larger retailers. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This might be true. Clays are formed from thin plate-shaped particles held together by electrostatic forces, so there is a cohesion. You know now that the three different types of soil differ for their particle size. On the other hand, if the balls are very small (imagine to replace football balls with tennis balls), now the box will be way more compact, and for you, it will be quite a task to stretch your legs. However, here, I will keep things simple, highlighting the central concept. Texture influences the ease with which soil can be worked, the amount of water and air it holds, and the rate at which water can enter and move through soil. For you as a reference, a soil with a pH close or equal to 7 (neutral) is ideal. Just to give you an idea, seawater has a salinity of 45 dS/m and above. This is great news for your herbs as water will flow slowly and so your plant roots will have time to drink it! All rights reserved. 2. In this scheme, "pebble" covers the size range 4 to 64 mm (−2 to −6 φ). Clay particles are very small – less than 0.002 mm. This article has you covered. Using the ball pit comparison, you know now the meaning of drainage, aeration, friability and anchorage, and their intuitive relation with particle size. The combinations of these determine the soil’s properties – its texture, structure, porosity, chemistry and colour. This is because its limited drainage capability causes water to stay for longer in contact with the soil so releasing more of its salt content that tends to build up over time.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-leader-3','ezslot_20',116,'0','0'])); Effect on herbs: a salinity level above 1dS/m will challenge the ability of your herbs to extract water from the soil at they need to compete with the water-sucking ability of salt. Well done, you discovered another physical property: friability. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_18',115,'0','0'])); Effect on herbs: the pH level is correlated with the capability of soil to hold and release nutrients to plants. 10. 6 PART I. No, not... Hi, Andrea here! of sand-, silt-, and clay-size fractions from soils using ultrasonic vibration to disperse the soils. This is something you want to avoid for your herbs. Sandy soil is very friable with not a great anchorage. If not, well, there are lots of things to do in life that bring happiness... yourindoorherbs is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com. Sand, silt, and clay, defined as “basic” soil types, differs for the size of their particles that vary from: 0.05 mm to 2 mm for sand 0.002 mm to 0.05 mm for silt below 0.002 mm for clay If you say it’s a slug, you’re absolutely right. That’s what every expert gardener (and gardening soil manufacturer) does: create their own soil with precise sand, clay, and silt ratio to reach the desired physical and chemical properties. These living things can grow millions of times their original size, they convert air into wood and can end up in your plate feeding you. Yes, for outdoor application silt is an excellent soil component due to its nutrient retention capability. Carried by water during flood it forms a fertile deposit on valleys floor. A soil made entirely of sand is terrible news for any herb as the water pass through too quickly for the roots to have the opportunity to “drink” it. Pros, Cons and How To Remove Them. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'yourindoorherbs_com-banner-1','ezslot_10',110,'0','0'])); Easy again? eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-large-leaderboard-2','ezslot_12',111,'0','0'])); Easy again? In this case, the plant will struggle to extend its roots. This also explains why adding saltwater (or even worse, table salt) to your soil is, in most cases, a terrible idea. Silt particles are from 0.002 to 0.05 mm in diameter. This technique is known as aquaponics. The term may also be used for other granular materials. You can follow any two of the three component lines from the percentage listed on the side of the pyramid into the central polygons to determine the texture of the soil. link to White Slugs in Your Garden? Well done, you just discovered two physical properties: drainage and aeration.eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'yourindoorherbs_com-box-4','ezslot_15',109,'0','0'])); Drainage is the capability of the soil to let water pass through. Think to soil as the aggregation of millions of spherical particles (this is not exactly true but makes the concept very easy to understand) inside a plant container. However, how particle size affects the physical and chemical properties of the soil? If blown up to an easily visible size, compared to other soil particles, a clay particle would be the size of a golf ball. Let’s dive in.eval(ez_write_tag([[728,90],'yourindoorherbs_com-box-3','ezslot_13',106,'0','0'])); What are the differences between sand, silt, and clay? Grain size is classified as clay if the particle diameter is <0.002 mm, as silt if it is between 0.002 mm and 0.06 mm, or as sand if it is between 0.06 mm and 2 mm. You can create a large variety of soils by mixing those three (or two) types in different ratios. You can easily mold clay into pots and shapes but you cannot easily do that with silt. The next step, very easy now for you, is to see how these physical characteristics vary in function of the soil type. If staring at plants made me an odd person, well, probably I am. Moreover, the soil pH changes over time depending on watering and the presence of organic material (that makes it more acidic). The success of your herbs strongly depends not only on the physical properties discussed earlier but also on the chemical properties. sand, silt, clay and small rocks (pebbles) found in a given sample. What’s going to happen if you add a few tennis balls in a box full of football balls? Go along each side, marking the percentage of each constituent material, then draw lines down the tringle and see where the three cross over. For instance, the red dot in the figure is referred to an almost balanced proportion among clay, sand, and silt. Easy, the surface of each soil particle can be seen as a nutrient magnet (most soil are negatively charged) that attracts plant nutrients. If the problem is not addressed (changing soil ideally) your herb very likely will die. After moving to the UK 6 years ago in a tiny flat, it was impossible to grow herbs outside. Think about a lemon juice, for instance. weathering, illuviation) or disturbances (e.g. of sample - % clay 8.4 Percent sand: % sand = 100% - % silt - % clay 9. Clay is obviously richest in clay minerals than most soil types. Grain size Abbr. The tennis ball will cover part of the empty space among the larger balls. Do not get me wrong, though! Soil is made up of different-sized particles. However, you need lots of care and attention to compensate for the lack of anchorage and inadequate drainage of such soil (for instance, watering very often). Remember, none of these media is soil. Anything less than 1/256 mm results in either claystone or mudstone. Silt forms fine-grained siltstone, with fragments between 1/16 mm and 1/256 mm. We also know that such nutrients need to present in the soil. It has a very low concentration of ions. Unfortunately, this is not true for drainage. Particles larger than 2.0 mm are called gravel or stones. Can I buy sand, silt, and clay separately? A physical property refers to the soil texture. This method quantitatively determines the physical proportions of three sizes of primary soil particles as determined by their settling rates in an aqueous solution using a hydrometer. Given how small the particles are, such soil tends to be very compact (not friable) and do provide good anchorage (probably too good) for your herbs. Friability is the capability of the soil to break into smaller pieces when pressed or moved. HORIBA systems have been used successfully for a range of soil and sediment applications. Though silt and clay are classified as fine soils, they have some difference between them. It is possible to have access to them by querying construction companies. sand, % silt and % clay, with size fractions specified), [...] textural class (USDA), undisturbed bulk density, and soil moisture [...] characteristic curve (0-15 bar) to help determine the soil water balance throughout the study. The next smallest particles are silt particles and have diameters between 0.002 mm and 0.05 mm (in USDA soil taxonomy). Let’s start talking about physical properties. You need to move the soil frequently and keep it just moist enough not to be wet (that causes waterlog) neither dry (tends to become difficult to work with and for herbs to grow through as dry clay is very hard). Hopefully not! Granular material can range from very small colloidal particles, through clay, silt, sand, gravel, and cobbles, to boulders. Many of the most common herbs you might have in a small pot on your windowsill (like basil) can thrive only with water, with no soil! C for clay, M for silt, S for sand, G for gravel, or 0 for organic; L for low or H for high plasticity-compressibility; W for well-graded or P for poorly graded materials; in well-graded materials, no particle size is dominant, but in poorly graded materials, some particle size is dominant; Rights: University of Waikato. The only countermeasure is for you to water it very often. If you have ever grown culinary herbs you know that many of them are not a fan of low temperatures (yes basil, I am looking at you!). The percentage of gravel, sand, silt and clay size particles present in soil can be obtained from the particle distribution curve. Lots of space implies that water and air can easily pass through the balls from top to bottom. A too low or high pH can also negatively change the structure of the soil, making it harder for a potted herb to thrive. Soil texture refers to the relative proportions of sand, silt, and clay particle sizes, irrespective of chemical or mineralogical composition. A ternary diagram is used to translate a sediment's proportion of the three different classes of grain size—sand, silt, and clay—into a soil description. That’s why I do not recommend growing herbs (with few exceptions like tyme that can thrive with a soil with a substantial sand component) in sandy soils. Sand, surprisingly, has a low salinity that varies from 0.3 to 1.1 dS/m. A young Italian guy with a passion for growing edible herbs. Quality Control 9.1 Standard soil - a standard soil of known particle size content is analyzed with each batch of samples to check for instrument calibration and procedural accuracy. If there is lots of space (and so the air), it will be easy for you to stretch your legs and move around. Sand, on the other hand, has the opposite behavior. Sand ranges from 0.05 to 2.0 mm. The particle size affects the physical and chemical properties of the soil. Indeed, salt will “suck” water from their cell, damaging them. It is also true that sand can be benefical in a great potting mix. It may also exist as soil deposited at the bottom of a water body, like mudflows from landslides. Ignore them, and your herbs will suffer! A friable soil will let the roots of a plant to pass effortlessly. Clay particles are plate-shaped instead of spherical, allowing for an increased specific surface area. Keep reading to know more.eval(ez_write_tag([[580,400],'yourindoorherbs_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',107,'0','0'])); Each soil is given by inorganic matter. If the soil does not offer anchorage the plant my fall upside down with just a breeze. For instance, previously, I discussed the lousy drainage of clay. If it was 70% clay, 20% silt and 10% sand it would be described as a ‘clay’. Likewise, their chemical and physical properties fall between those of clay and sand. This site also participates in other affiliate programs and is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. However, life brought me to the UK as an engineer. A white garden slug is a land mollusk... Organic vs Inorganic Fertilizer: Pros, Cons [and More]. Salt is indeed used also as a natural way to kill unwanted plants in a field. Moreover, suppose that you are really light so you can float in the ball pit. The particle size of silt ranges from 0.002 and 0.06 mm. For simplicity, I will introduce you to the differences between the two extreme soil type as silt, with intermediate particle size, has average physical properties among the two.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-leader-1','ezslot_16',112,'0','0'])); Hence, sand might look ideal as the roots can receive all the water that arrives from the top (either from the sky or from you and me watering our green friends). What animal in your garden is not a worm, snail or insect, has a skirt, a foot, and 27,000 teeth? Sand is gritty to the touch and the individual grains or particles can be seen with the naked eye. A potting soil (more precisely potting-mix) is a combination of peat moss, compost, perlite, fertilizer, and limestone. 3 Particle Size (Hydrometer) 8.3 Percent silt: % silt = corrected hydrometer reading at 40 sec. In this way, you can mitigate the defect of one soil type and bringing the benefit of the other(s). The largest particles are sand particles and are larger than 0.05 mm in diameter. Clay particles are smaller in size than silt. Loamy soil types (there is a large variety as you can see in the graph) are very famous among gardeners (the most common is 40-40-20 of sand, silt, and clay). Hence, water and air can still flow through the box, but this will happen at a slower rate compared to the original case. On the opposite side, more ions make your soil alkaline (or basic). Clay has super fine particles that cling together and prohibit water and nutrient movement, while sand has course particles which allow water and nutrients to leach too rapidly. However, this has also a nutritional drawback as too much water can “wash” away nutrients potentially present in the soil (if you add them through fertilizer, for instance). Demonstration of how water moves through different sized soil particles. hc-sc.gc.ca. This is the capability of the soil to provide a mechanical sustain for a plant. Many common herbs like basil, mint, and parsley can fully develop with this technique. To the geologist, sand is material with grain sizes between 2 millimeters and 1/16th millimeter; silt is 1/16th to 1/256th millimeter; clay is everything smaller than that (they are divisions of the Wentworth scale). pH is a number that varies from 0 to 14 (0 extremely acidic, 14 extremely alkaline and 7 neutral, ideally like boiled water). In general, sand is slightly acidic while clay is more on the alkaline side. Their plant roots will grow immersed continuously in water. Primarily, every side of the triangle is associated with a soil type concentration. Now you are the plant, and your legs are the roots. The particles that make up soil are categorized into three groups by size – sand, silt, and clay. Soil components may be described as gravel, sand, silt, or clay. The USDA system has been adopted by … Now imagine that the ball pit is very deep, and you cannot touch the bottom with your feet. Definition/description Code; Clay: C: Clay:silt ratio >2:1 and clay+silt >90%, sand : 10%, gravel 2%10: Organic mud- Clay:silt ratio from 1:2 to 2:1 and clay+silt >90%, sand : 10%, gravel 2%. Minerals . To have an idea of the soil type that exists just have a look at the soil triangle (very known among gardeners and soil specialist). Perform a broad characterization of sand-, silt-, and clay-size fractions isolated by the procedure de veloped, but place special emphasis on the nature of the organic material associated with the fractions. De très nombreux exemples de phrases traduites contenant "sand silt clay" – Dictionnaire français-anglais et moteur de recherche de traductions françaises. If you are fascinated by plants as I do and you want some geeky point of view, you are in the right place! One of the reasons is that potted herbs provide a totally different challenge. You should be familiar with “acidic” substances. Pros, Cons and How To Remove Them, link to Organic vs Inorganic Fertilizer: Pros, Cons [and More], 2 aspects that make great any potting soil, sand can be benefical in a great potting mix. You can have some success with it, but only with lots of effort to compensate for the lack of drainage and aeration. Due to its fineness, when wet it becomes a smooth mud that you can form easily into balls or other shapes in your hand and when silt soil is very wet, it blends seamlessly with water to form fine, runny puddles of mud. This study reports on the results of comprehensive axial compression triaxial tests conducted at up to 1 MPa confining pressure on sand, crushed silt, precipitated silt, and clay specimens with closely controlled concentrations of synthetic hydrate. Easy? This is especially true if clay soil is not moved frequently. Silt is a non-plastic or low plasticity material due to its fineness. You might even notice a white crust on the soil surface. Silt is smooth and slippery to the touch when wet and the individual particles are much smaller than those of sand. In some schemes "gravel" is anything larger than sand (>2.0 mm), and includes "granule", "pebble", "cobble", and "boulder" in the above table. An experienced gardener might tell you that you can grow everything in the sand. For more information on how boost your herb growth you can check the best potting soil article or the 2 aspects that make great any potting soil. Otherwise, they will have their roots wet for a long time (lousy drainage), ideal conditions for root rot. More on this in future articles. I discussed the property of soils given one aspect for assumed: herbs can only thrive in soil. Silt—Silt particles are intermediate in size. If each sphere in a ball pit is very large, then you have lots of space between them. Hence, over time, you might want to perform pH test, as the one discussed in this article. Effect on herbs: clay soil is another no-to-go for herbs. An individual particle in this range size is termed a sand grain.The next smaller size class in geology is silt: particles below 0.0625 mm down to 0.004 mm in size. Some clay particles are so small that ordinary microscopes do not show them. Sand particles tend to be the biggest. In this website you can play around to see how different soil proportion affects the final result. Now, all those leaves are indoors due to "sad" weather conditions. Symptoms to watch are: a wilted plant, leaves start getting yellow or brown and curl (also you can google “salt leaves burn”). You just discovered the last physical property: anchorage. So I start my journey in growing indoor and so I decided to share my knowledge. Once you know your proportions of sand, silt, & clay, you can successfully use the soil texture pyramid. Curious Minds is a Government initiative jointly led by the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment, the Ministry of Education and the Office of the Prime Minister’s Chief Science Advisor. Now imagine that you are inside the ball pit and you want to stretch your legs. Clay particles are less than 0.002 mm in diameter while silt particles range from 0.002 to 0.05 mm. Sand, for soil, might have spent many years/decades, not in contact with seawater. The terms all have to do with the soil particle size. As the name suggests indicates the salt content in the soil. Most soils are a combination of the three. Sandstone is medium-grained, meaning its fragments are between 1/16 mm and 2 mm. You get rid off the problem of sand soil without getting the troubles of clay soil.eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-mobile-leaderboard-1','ezslot_22',118,'0','0'])); Of course, knowing the exact ratio to obtain the desired physical and chemical is a science (soil science), but I guess you got the concept: in real life, you will not have a purely one soil type. eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-leader-4','ezslot_21',117,'0','0'])); Hence, it is now easy to understand that clay is a way more nutrient-rich soil than sand. That’s acidic. How the soil keep those nutrients? According to the USDA Soil Texture Classification system, the sand-silt distinction is made at the 0.05 mm particle size. These chemical properties are:eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-leader-2','ezslot_19',114,'0','0'])); The pH of your soil (for more precise details you can always use Wikipedia) tells you the concentration of “hydrogen ions” dispersed in it. • Texture - size of primary particles • Mineral soil – relative proportion of sand, silt, and clay • Organic soil – based on the degree of decomposition • Structure – describes the aggregation of mineral grains into secondary units or peds • May reflect natural pedogenic processes (e.g. If you are not familiar with “hydrogen ions” just remember that less of this “ions,” more acidic will be your soil. However, believe it or not, this is not true! Soil separates are specific ranges of particle sizes. Indeed, the water cannot penetrate the soil or, once there, it cannot leave for a long time. For solid samples where particle size exceeds 5 mm, the CAMSIZER can provide not only size, but also valuable shape information. A single grain can be composed of several crystals. Silt particles tend to be spherical in shape. Furthermore, large sand particles can be descri… These are all medium that provides (if in the right proportion) the right balance of nutrients (compost), nutrients, and water retention capability (compost) and drainage (perlite). The particle size of silt ranges from 0.002 and 0.06 mm.Silt is a non plastic or low plasticity material due to its fineness. Clay particles are very small – less than 0.002 mm. Carried by water during flood it forms a fertile deposit on valleys floor. With the smallest particles, this soil makes it difficult for gases to reach the herbs’ roots and vice versa (inadequate aeration). Essentially, rocks that in the course of thousands of years have been reduced in very tiny pieces (fraction of millimeter) by the action of wind and water. Indeed, when we talk about sand soil, you should not imagine a beach constantly wet with salty water. If, for example, your soil sample has 50% sand, 20% silt and 30% clay, it would be described as a ‘sandy clay loam’. Are they the same? The term may also be applied to other granular materials. It is like someone opening and closing a tap so rapidly that does not leave you the time to drink. Every single ball indeed has a lower surface, but, at the same time, you have way more ball that more than compensate such aspect. Silt is a sediment material with an intermediate size between sand and clay. We know that every herb needs nutrients. The same applies to the plant roots. Sand particles are the largest and clay particles the smallest. Herbs, as well plant in general, will suffer in the presence of high salinity level. The relative percentages of sand, silt, and clay are what give soil its texture. You will fall on the side. To understand the ability of a soil to retain nutrients, you might need an entire university course. The herb will not have enough water, and the soil will dry out quickly. White Slugs in Your Garden? Clay is the smallest soil particle. This is different from the crystallite size, which refers to the size of a single crystal inside a particle or grain. A pH level far from the suggested one (5.5 to 7.5) will affect the ability of microbes of producing the nutrients that herbs crave, and the concentration of plant-dangerous minerals (like aluminum) will also increase. Generally, for herbs to thrive, the salinity should not be higher than 1 dS/m (dS/m is the unit of measure, called deciSiemens per meter). As a guy raised in the sunny Sardinian island (Italy), I used to grow for fun all kinds of herbs on our balcony. As an example, lets say your jar is 40% silt, 30% sand, and 30% clay. Then, what will happen if we add clay to sand? The plasticity of clay is more than that of silt. That is salt! Think again to the pit ball comparison. Grain size (or particle size) is the diameter of individual grains of sediment, or the lithified particles in clastic rocks. Silts retain and release fewer plant nutrients into the soil solution than clays. A clay loam texture soil, for example, has nearly equal parts of sand, slit, and clay. Particle Size Analysis (Sand/Silt/Clay) Summary. Hence, understanding the features and differences between the three primary types of soil (sand, silt, and clay) can make the real for a thriving indoor garden. The LA-960 Particle Size Analyzer is uniquely qualified for soil and sediment samples since the dynamic range is the broadest of any system available. It’s a familiar story: we know organic and inorganic fertilizers but – talk about artificial, natural, synthetic, and chemical fertilizers and we’re a bit lost. Here the topic can get really complex and here I am simplifying quite a bit to let you know the most important bits. As always there are a few exceptions (like rosemary that thrives in slightly acidic soils), but at the start having a close to neutral soil (5.5 to 7.5) is adequate for many herbs. The main physical properties of any soil are: eval(ez_write_tag([[300,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-medrectangle-4','ezslot_11',108,'0','0'])); To better understand how each property works, I will use what I call the “ball pit comparison”. What happened if the balls are really big and someone moves you. x 100/ wt. Indeed, due to its small particle size, it has more surface to attract nutrients. Soils classified as clay typically contain zero to 45 percent sand, zero to 45 percent silt and 50 to 100 percent clay by volume. Silt is granular material of a size between sand and clay, whose mineral origin is quartz and feldspar.Silt may occur as a soil (often mixed with sand or clay) or as sediment mixed in suspension with water (also known as a suspended load) and soil in a body of water such as a river. Sand particles tend to be the biggest. This is something you want to avoid, of course. eval(ez_write_tag([[336,280],'yourindoorherbs_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_17',113,'0','0'])); This is the other side of the spectra. If the soil particles are large (as in the case of sand) the available surface to attract nutrients is overall smaller than the situation in which you have smaller balls. Of course, water alone (tap or distilled) does not have the nutrients for any plant to survive.eval(ez_write_tag([[250,250],'yourindoorherbs_com-narrow-sky-1','ezslot_24',120,'0','0'])); Is silt good for growing herbs? All soils contain mineral particles, organic matter, water and air. It is crucial in this case for the soil to be as light as possible, with limited compaction issues. Sand, silt, and clay, defined as “basic” soil types, differs for the size of their particles that vary from: Particle size affects the physical and chemical properties of the soil, making each of them suitable for specific situations. This survey will open in a new tab and you can fill it out after your visit to the site. Silt is a sediment material with an intermediate size between sand and clay. Anchorage can be seen as a consequence of friability. Each soil particle can be seen as a ball in a ball pit while the plant container as the box of the ball pit. Relative size of sand, silt and clay particles. – Clay contains clay minerals,while silts do … This goes from one extreme (0%) to another (100%). – Clay particles are much lesser in size than silt particles, even though all soils with particles size less than 0.075mm are classified as either silt or clay. Clay, on the other hand, generally has a higher salt content (0.6 dS\m). Due to its fineness, when wet it becomes a smooth mud that you can form easily into balls or other shapes in your hand and when silt soil is very wet, it blends seamlessly with water to form fine, runny puddles of mud. The situation can get even worse with water. It tends to compact. However, silty soils are still considered quite fertile.