In practice, most cultivated soils fall somewhere in between these broad categories and are a blend of different particle sizes. These types of soil are known as 'loams'.
The main characteristics of these loams are those of the predominant mineral.
Disadvantages: Clay loams tend to be heavy and slow draining and are difficult to work when wet. In very dry conditions they harden and form surface cracks.
Sandy loams, on the other hand, are free draining. They are quite easy to work but dry out easily and nutrients are quickly lost.
Silty loams are prone to compaction and tend to settle into a dense airless mass.
Advantages: The fact that loams contain a broader range of particle sizes means that they do not display the extreme characteristics and behaviour of, say, a pure clay or sandy soil, and are easier to work with.
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