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Soil structure

Soil structure is the arrangement of soil particles (sand, silt, clay and organic matter) into granules, crumbs or blocks. It is the shape that the soil takes based on its physical, chemical and biological properties. Soil structure is often confused with soil texture, both of which affect the soil’s drainage and aeration capabilities.

Info centre - well structured soil
Info centre - soil structure poorly structured soil

Well-structured soils, as in the first image shown, are usually crumbly and friable and have plenty of pore space to allow water and air movement and healthy root development.

The second image shown shows a poorly structured, cloddy soil, which will be difficult to work with. This soil needs significant improvement to make it suitable for planting.

Why is structure important?

To perform effectively as a growing medium soils need an open structure through the soil profile. A good soil structure is important to allow air and water into the soil which are vital for healthy plant growth. It will improve drainage and reduce soil erosion caused by excess surface run-off.

Without structure, soils will suffer from anaerobism, waterlogging and nutrient lock-up and, ultimately, plants will die!

Checking your soil structure

Soil structure can be examined quite easily by visual inspection. Dig a hole approximately 30-40cm deep, making sure there are no spade marks along one side. Examine the unmarked side of the hole, inserting a knife or pen at approx 1cm intervals vertically to identify compacted zones where there is greater resistance.

Looking at root development and for evidence of worm activity will also give an indication of how well-structured your soil is. Shallow, restricted rooting and lack of earthworm activity indicate a problem with the soil structure which needs to addressed.

Click the link to find out more about improving your soil.

Further guidance

Further lawn care advice can be found in our Information Centre. You can also sign up for lawn tips to receive regular lawn care advice, news and promotional offers by email which will help you get the best from your lawn.

For more techniques to help you maintain a healthy lawn, explore our other lawn aftercare advice.

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You can also sign up to our newsletter to receive free seasonal lawn care advice and reminders of essential maintenance, as well as general horticultural advice and special offers from Rolawn.

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Important update: Temporary 6.5% surcharge effective 7 April 

At Rolawn, we are committed to maintaining the high standards of quality and service our customers expect, so we want to be open with our customers about a change that will affect pricing from Tuesday 7th April. 

This decision has been taken in response to disruption to energy supplies, which has led to significant increases in wholesale prices, affecting not only fuel and fertiliser but also costs throughout our wider supply chain. As a business that relies heavily on fuel for both transport and operations, these sustained cost pressures have become increasingly difficult to absorb.  

While we have worked hard to mitigate the impact, the scale and pace of recent price increases have now exceeded what we can sustain internally, and we therefore need to recover a proportion of these externally driven increases. 

From Tuesday 7th April, a temporary 6.5% surcharge will apply to all products.  

We know that any increase in price is frustrating, particularly at a time when many businesses and households are already feeling under pressure. That is why we want to be clear that this is not a decision we have made lightly, and not one we wanted to make. It has been introduced solely to help offset unavoidable cost inflation and allow us to continue delivering the quality, reliability and service standards associated with Rolawn. 

We will continue to monitor market conditions closely and will review this surcharge as soon as circumstances allow, providing reasonable notice of any changes. We recognise that any price increase is unwelcome, but this step is necessary to ensure the continuity and reliability of our operations during a period of ongoing uncertainty. 

We remain committed to providing the quality, reliability and service standards you expect from Rolawn, and we truly appreciate your understanding and continued support. 

If you have any questions, please contact our customer support team who will be happy to help.