How to Do the Soil Ribbon Test

A simple way to understand what your soil is made of — no lab kit required. 

Why this matters

Understanding your soil texture is one of the most useful things you can do as a gardener. It affects how water moves, how nutrients are held, which plants will thrive, and how easily roots grow.

Sandy soil drains fast and dries out. Clay holds water and can stay cold and compacted. Loam sits somewhere in the middle. Remember, changing your soil is such an enormous task that it's far better to pick plants that suit your soil, rather than try to change your soil to fit plants that you want!  

The ribbon test gives you a quick, hands-on way to figure out what kind of soil you’re working with — so you can make better decisions about planting, composting, mulching, and more. Use the illustrations below to follow each step.

Step 1: Prepare the Soil

Take a small egg-sized handful of your soil. Add water little by little, kneading as you go, until it sticks together like modelling clay.

• If it’s too crumbly, add more water.

• If it’s too sticky or sludgy, sprinkle in some dry soil and try again.

Step 2: Try to Make a Ribbon

 Roll a portion of the moist soil between your thumb and forefinger, pressing it out into a flat ribbon.

Step 3: See What Happens

 Pay attention to how it behaves:

• Does it crumble straight away?

• Can you stretch it out a bit?

• Is it smooth, gritty, sticky, or slick?

Step 4: What Your Results Mean

Sandy soil: Crumbles quickly and feels gritty — no ribbon forms.

Loam: Somewhere in the middle — a short to mid-length ribbon (1–2 inches) that’s slightly gritty or slightly smooth.

Clay soil: Makes a long, sticky ribbon (2 inches or more) — strong and bendy.