Metal Fencing And Soil

Soil Types & Metal Fencing In Melbourne

Are you a gardener? Yes? No? Do you know much about soil and especially how it affects metal fencing? Yes? No? Regardless of the answer, today we’ll focus on different types of soil and how it affects metal fencing.

Since Diamond Fence is a metal fencing company based in Melbourne, then this is why we’ll be looking at different soil types in Melbourne. There’s 9 of the to be precise.

1. Red Loam

Red Loam is considered to be probably the best soils in Melbourne. It’s deep, friable and well structured and can be found in the rolling to hilly country between Silvan and Monbulk, the upper parts of the Dandenong Ranges and the hill crests at Chirnside Park.

Some of the features:
– excellent drainage
– soil digging is easy regardless if it’s dry, moist or wet
– it’s non-sticky
– shrinking and swelling is minimal
– low erodibility

2. Brown loams over clay

It can be found on the Older Basalts of the lower Mornington Peninsula.  Grey brown friable loam topsoil materials overlies well-structured yellow red mottled clay subsoils.

Some of the features:

– good drainage
– good water holding capacity
– easily worked when moist
– non-sticky, but soft when wet

3. Dark grey sand over clay

Mostly located in between Kew and Mt. Waverley, and in a large triangular area bounded by Toorak, Cheltenham and Dandenong. The topsoil is a black to dark grey sand grading into light grey sand. It overlies a brown, red and gray mottled clay.

Some of the features:

– clay subsoil can impede drainage
– topsoil easily worked whether dry, moist or wet
– non-sticky
– in winter a perched watertable may occur above the clay, affecting drainage.

4. Light grey loams over clay

Found in Kew to Croydon and from Bundoora to Rowville. The topsoil consists of a light grey loam with some stones or gravel. The topsoil overlies a compact yellow brown mottled clay subsoil with small and large angular stones often found at the junction.

Some of the features:

– moderately well drained and with a moderate to low in water holding capacity
– topsoil sets hard when dry and too soft when wet, so best to work on when moist
– scattered rock fragments in the subsoil can cause problems for digging;

5. Gritty light grey loam over clay

Mostly occurs between Lysterfield and Hallam, Arthur’s Seat and Mt Martha. Consists of a light grey gritty sandy loam, or loamy sand, over mottled yellow brown and grey clay.

Some of the features:

– moderately well drained;
– low water holding capacity in topsoil
– topsoil sets hard when dry and is moderately easy to dig when moist;
– non-sticky;
– waterlogging is common on lower slopes in winter and spring;
– prone to erosion by water;

6. Dark loams, clays, local sands

Can be found in the swampy areas of Melbourne. It consists of dark loams, clays and sands.

Some of the features:

– drainage rates vary across the soil type;
– ranges from mildly acidic to neutral;

7. Deep sands free of lime

Deep grey brown sands over yellow grey, frequently with a layer of dark brown hard cemented sand , can be found in the areas from Black Rock to Brighton, and along the coast of Port Phillip Bay, as far as Rye.

Some of the features:

– rapid drainage
– very low water holding capacity
– easily worked, when wet, moist or dry;
– non-sticky;
– prone to erosion by wind;
– high water tables in some areas;

8. Deep sands with lime

Can be found in Cape Schanck and Sorrento. These sands are deep and consist of grey to whitish sand that occasionally sit on top of a lime-cemented hard pan.

Some of the features:

– excellent drainage;
– very low water holding capacity
– easily worked when wet, moist or dry;
– non-sticky
– prone to erosion by wind

9. Heavy clay on younger basalts

Found in the north-west of Melbourne, stretchig from Altona to Thomastown and from Richmond to Broadmeadows, that type of soil is generally shallow dark and reddish brown heavy clays with a thin loamy topsoil.

Some of the features:

– drainage very poor and causes water-logging in wet weather

– very hard when dry