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Do It YourselfMay 27, 2025
At-Home Soil Test
Put on your lab coat and channel your inner soil scientist! You can easily conduct an at-home soil agronomy test with a few simple materials. This DIY can help you estimate the texture of your soil by seeing how soil particles settle over time. At a basic level, soil is a mix of sand, silt, and clay. The particles settle into three layers: clay on top, silt in the middle, and sand on the bottom.
Supplies
Clean, clear jar with a lid
2 cups of soil from your garden
Water to fill
Instructions
- Collect your soil sample, removing any rocks, roots, or plant debris.
- Fill a clear jar about halfway with soil.
- Add a drop of dish soap, then fill the jar with water, leaving some space at the top.
- Seal the jar and shake it vigorously, allowing the soil and water to mix.
- Wait for the soil to settle out into layers.
- Once the water at the top is clear, usually after about 24 hours, measure each layer to roughly estimate your soil’s composition. If the water isn’t clear, the soil hasn’t fully settled yet!
Important Tips:
- Get extra credit points by calculating your soil’s percentages. Divide each layer by the total depth of the soil sample, then multiply by 100 to get the percentage. For example, if your soil sample is 3.25 inches deep, and the depth of the clay layer is .33 inches, divide .33 by 3.25, then multiply by 100. In this case, you’d know you have 10% clay.