Pond Boss Forums POND CONSTRUCTION Soil questions Soil Test

How would I go about testing the clay content in my soil?

there are a number of field tests from which you can guesstimate a clay percentage. my initial advice though, is if yer spending some bigger bucks to build a pond, spend a little more up front and submit yer soil sample(s) to a local geotech lab (university). they could run a sieve test on it and give you exact percentages of sand/silt/clay for likely less than $100.

tell them the purpose of the test (to evaluate if yer soil will hold pond water). you may also want some soil quality analyses to evaluate pH, fertility, major cations...which will help you decide if you need to lime...etc...

you will want to test soil depths that will correlate with the bottom of the pond once dug. you'll probably also want to test "borrow" sites if you'll need to move clay in to line portions of the pond.

Mike Otto's scientific tests include: Get the kids to make a ball of it and throw it at the side of the pickup. If it sticks and dries, it will hold water.

I think I would go with the soil lab as Dave suggests.

If it won't even hold itself in a ball shape (when moist), that's a bad sign.

My contractor's field test, other than a trained and experienced excavator's eye for many years, was pretty basic. He would grab 1/2 a handful in his palm and work it toward and thru his thumb and fingers, pinching a flat ribbon about 1" wide. He would methodically work it like he was using his fingers as rolling pins. The further the ribbon projected away from his finger tips without breaking off, the better. His target is about 3" for a good clay content test.