Particle size detective work

Soil testing timelines can detect changes in product application. If you add lime, you’ll see a change in the pH timeline. If you stop adding Mn, you’ll see a change in the Mn timeline. And this goes for particle size timelines too.

After the organic material is measured in an OM246 test, the remaining mineral matter from the 0–2 cm layer of the rootzone can be passed through sieves to measure the particle size distribution.

In 2025, a golf course with a multi-year history of 0–2 cm layer particle size analyses changed to a new topdressing sand. The sands used in recent years are shown in the image below.

That change in sand was easily picked up by the particle size analysis of the OM246 samples collected in early 2026.

The increase in very fine sand hasn’t caused any problems yet in terms of infiltration or surface performance. Changes in particle sizes at the top of the rootzone can be easily detected through this method.