Soil moisture content

The amount of water remaining in a soil drained to field capacity and the amount that is available are functions of the soil type. Sandy soil will retain very little water, while clay will hold the maximum amount. The time required to drain a field from flooded condition for a clay loam that begins at 43% water by weight to a field capacity of 21.5% is six days, whereas a sand loam that is flooded to its maximum of 22% water will take two days to reach field capacity of 11.3% water. The available water for the clay loam might be 11.3% whereas for the sand loam it might be only 7.9% by weight.

Wilting point, field capacity, and available water capacity of various soil textures
Soil Texture Wilting Point Field Capacity Available water capacity
Water per foot of soil depth Water per foot of soil depth Water per foot of soil depth
 % in.  % in.  % in.
Medium sand 1.7 0.3 6.8 1.2 5.1 0.9
Fine sand 2.3 0.4 8.5 1.5 6.2 1.1
Sandy loam 3.4 0.6 11.3 2.0 7.9 1.4
Fine sandy loam 4.5 0.8 14.7 2.6 10.2 1.8
Loam 6.8 1.2 18.1 3.2 11.3 2.0
Silt loam 7.9 1.4 19.8 3.5 11.9 2.1
Clay loam 10.2 1.8 21.5 3.8 11.3 2.0
Clay 14.7 2.6 22.6 4.0 7.9 1.4

The above are average values for the soil textures as the percentage of sand, silt and clay vary within the listed soil textures.

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