The effect of soil texture on available water

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The effect of soil texture on available water
Field capacity refers to the amount of water
left in the soil after the excess has drained due
to gravity. At field capacity, the soil will
contain capillary water, held by the cohesive
forces of water molecules, and available to
plants. The wilting point refers to the amount
of water left in the soil after the capillary
water has been removed by transpiration
and/or evaporation. There remains a thin
hygroscopic layer of water that is unavailable.
Sand holds the least amount of total water but
available water can be almost as restricted in
clay because hygroscopic water is held between
the layers of the clay molecules.