Reforestation is a primary end use for reconstructed soils following oil sands mining in northern Alberta, Canada. Approximately 20% of the final reclamation landscape in the oil sands region will be comprised of coarse textured soils. Coarse textured soils are generally low in available soil water and nutrients in which plant growth is strongly restricted. Previous research has shown that layering of sandy soils can enhance water availability for plant growth (Yang et al. 2004; Huang et al. 2011a); however, the influence of textural gradation on these enhancements is not well defined.