loam Hear it!

loam Definition

loam (lōm)

noun

  1. a rich soil composed of clay, sand, and some organic matter
  2. a mixture of moistened clay, sand, and some organic matter, as straw, used in plastering, making foundry molds, etc.
  3. popularly any rich, dark soil

Etymology: ME lome < OE lam: see lime

transitive verb

to fill or cover with loam

loam Related Forms

loamy adjective loami·er, loami·est

loam Synonyms

loam

n.

topsoil, dirt, wood's earth; see earth 2.

loam Usage Examples

Converse of object

  • base: These pipe trenches may be topped with free draining sand, or a free draining loam based compost, which is then seeded.
  • use: Compost It is advisable to use a loam based compost in you containers.
  • mix: Sandy loam mixed with road dust makes a fairly good dusting material.
  • blend: We will replace the topsoil with Rolawn blended loam, giving the turf the best possible growth conditions.
  • form: Before planting, skim off grass turfs with a spade and pile upside down in a corner to rot down to form loam.
  • sterilize: Only then is the seedling ready to be transferred to a larger container of very sandy, sterilized loam.

Preposition: at

top: It is fine rich loam at top, with clay further down.

Preposition: over

chalk: They prefer neutral or add soils, or deep loam over chalk.

Adjective modifier

  • friable: Filled with [ 4195 ] a friable sandy loam ( 10yr 4/6 dark yellow brown ) with various sized pebbles.
  • silty: The principle crop on his 450 acres of mainly silty, heavy loam is 320 acres of winter wheat.
  • loose/friable: Filled with [ 4171 ] loose/friable sandy loam ( 2.5yr 4/6 dark red ) with 30 % pebbles.
  • sandy: Sandy loam mixed with road dust makes a fairly good dusting material.
  • tenacious: It is a stiff, tenacious loam, mixed with flint stones.
  • clayey: The red clayey loam, mixed up with great yellow flint stones.

Modifies a noun

soil: Apply a top dressing of a sandy loam soil to level out any areas.

Noun used with modifier

  • silt: High risk of erosion silt loam Predominantly silt with very little sand or clay.
  • clay: Most people think they have a problem once they discover the soil they have is a clay or clay loam.
  • garden: Keep the turf to make a turf stack with it, and create your very own garden loam.
  • part: The best potting mixture is two parts coarse gritty sand to one part loam.

Preposition: with

pH: The ideal soil is a gritty or sandy loam with a pH of between 6-8.