Soil is the thin layer on the surface of the Earth on which the living beings of the earth survive since it is the layer of materials in which plants have their roots. Soil is made up of many things like weathered rock particles and decayed plant and animal matter. It takes a long time for soil formation and more than thousand years for the formation of a thin layer of soil. Since soil is made up of such diverse materials like broken down rock particles and organic material, it can be classified into various types, though based on the size of the particles it contains.

Soil Types

Therefore depending on the size of the particles in the soil, it can be classified into these following types:   

Besides this kind of classification soil can also be classified as Acidic and Alkaline soil depending on the amount of humus, organic matter and the underlying bedrock.

Every soil has its own advantages and disadvantages and there are various plants that have different requirements.

All plants do not need the same kind of soil.