Introduction

In this blog we will be talking about soil. The major components of soil are sand, clay and silt. Many people wonder what the difference between dirt and soil is. Dirt is actually displaced soil. Also the texture and structure is different. Soil is made up of organic material and broken down rock. When certain things decompose and rocks break down, soil may be formed from the material that is left over. The color of soil also matters. The color of soil tells us the amount of organic matter present. Structure and Ph can tell you how easily plants can take up nutrients from the soil. Typical soil looks in our area looks brown and crusty.  Around 5% of Lake Zurich soil is organic matter. In Hawaii, the soil  is 5% organic matter. In Georgia the amount of organic matter is 2% . Arizona has an organic matter percentage of about 1%. The more organic matter the richer and better for faming it is. Farmers  should be interested in soil analysis because  they can tell if their crops will survive in a certain place. Economic benefits of soil analysis include saving money on fertilizers and improving the economy by having the ability to grow more crops. Social benefits of soil analysis include more crops and also so people know where they can grow crops and where it grows the best.