25.10.20 Soil lab
Format:
- Title: short and sweet
- Purpose: direct, should cover what you intend to do
- Materials: detailed list of what is needed beyond normal lab gear
- Procedure: can be numbered, must include each step
- Data: anything that can be represented by numbers
- Observations: anything that cannot be represented by numbers
- Conclusions/Error analysis: circle back to the purpose and answer your own question
Physical tests:
- Gather soil samples in special scientific soil gathering cups (red is best) using scientifically approved trowel or soil implement
- Notice tilth, smell, color and friability (ability to crumble)
- Bring soil back to elab, clean out soil sieve ("sifter" to Americans)
- Gently pour sample into the sieve (sifter) and shake horizontally to sort the soil
- Calculate the mass of each level by subtracting from the tare ("empty" for Americans) weight of each level
- Calculate the percentage in each level, first by combining all levels for a total, then by ignoring the first "overlayer" or O layer debris (also known as detritis)
Chemical tests:
- Open a soil test kit and read the directions (these are printed words that explain the process)
- DeWilde kit process: https://www.amazon.com/live/video/0ea771ec274746808b16bf4afb0883b1
- take the soil from your lowest (finest) level or a combination of levels and place 2.5 cm (1 inch for Americans) of soil in the larger tube
- add distilled water (our sinks are rain water, which is essentially distilled water) to fill the tube
- shake for 1 minute
- stand upright for 30 minutes until the soil and water separate (should be clear)
- using the pipette, draw clear liquid from the test tube and fill to the "2" mark on the small tube
- add 4 drops of pH test solution
- close and shake
- wait 1 minute, read color, compare to color chart
- using the pipette, draw clear liquid from the test tube and fill to the "2" mark on the small tube
- add 2 drops of potassium test solution
- close and shake
- wait 1 minute, read color, compare to color chart
- using the pipette, draw clear liquid from the test tube and fill to the "2" mark on the small tube
- add 2 drops of phosphorus test solution
- close and shake
- wait 1 minute, read color, compare to color chart
- using the pipette, draw clear liquid from the test tube and fill to the "1" mark on the small tube
- add 4 drops of Ammonia activator solution
- close and shake
- add 2 drops of ammonia nitrogen solution
- close and shake
- wait 1 minute, read color, compare to color chart
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