At the early levels the chance is indeed low, however the chance of receiving a material from soil increases as you level up. There are also various milestones (you can see them under 'Leveling benefits' in the skillguide) where the XP is also increased.

The concept of soil isn't for everyone which is by design. There are different player types that it appeals too, and there are others where it doesn't appeal at all (i.e. those that are happy to drop or sell it).

Bentoki

Is it best to say that if you're going for xp you should drop it?

I don't think so. I personally store it all in the soil box (I have it upgraded to store 100 now), and then teleport back to the guild whenever I need to empty it into the bank.

mitzi86

Could you look into changing the language in the skillguide to better illustrate this buff? It just says "the xp for screening soil is increased." This does not tell you in any way that you're ability to screen soil for materials is also increased.

Your ability to screen soil for materials naturally increases as you level e.g. at level 30, you have a better chance than at 29 (this example is minimal though of course).

A similar example in a different skill is how you become more proficient at cutting a willow tree as your woodcutting level increases.