among these soils which is/are alkaline or acidic?

Question

clay, clay loam, sand.
okay, i've been through many sites already and some say clay is acidic and some say it's alkaline.which is which?

Answer 1

pH measures the concentration of hydrogen ions in the soil solution.

Clay, clay loam and sand are all classes of soil textures. It's the other constituents (limestone, organic acids, etc) that tell you what the pH is going to be. The soil texture may have modifying effects on the pH and buffering capacity (e.g. a clay soil with 0.1% CaCO3 won't have the same pH as a sandy soil with 0.1% CaCO3). There are acidic clays, alkaline clays, acidic sands and alkaline sands.

Clay soils have a higher cation exchange capacity, which means that in the complete absence of all organic matter and non-clay minerals (an impossible situation), it will adsorb H+ ions from water and render the soil solution mildly alkaline. A sandy soil solution in the same situation would be neutral. However, these are just theoretical examples as most soils have enough cations to prevent much H+ adsorption. The addition of organic acids complicates the situation further, since a lower pH increases the chances of H+ binding to the CEC sites.

The % base saturation of the CEC sites (what proportion is occupied by basic cations instead of H+) will give you an idea of what pH range to expect. See the link. In reality, it is the pH of the soil that determines the base saturation and not the other way round. So we go back to my original statement - it all depends on what else is in the soil, and not the texture alone.

Answer 2

Is Clay Soil Acidic

Answer 3

Clay can be either one. All "clay" means it that the size of the individual particles is tiny. What the clay is made from and other minerals that get mixed in as the rock is being ground down is what would make the difference. "Sand" is the same, except the grain size is larger.

If you have a particular area where you want to know if the clay/soil is acidic or alkaline, go to a county extension office or your library and look at a copy of your county soil survey. It will have this information.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
among these soils which is/are alkaline or acidic?
clay, clay loam, sand.
okay, i've been through many sites already and some say clay is acidic and some say it's alkaline.which is which?

Answer 5

Clay is alkaline.

Answer 6

You might find the answer to your question here------------------------>http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soil_pH

Hope this helps.

Answer 7

Thanks! extremely valuable information and offers me better knowledge on this topic

Answer 8

TRY http://WWW.HGTV.COM