Chemical Tests
All living things need minerals to survive. We get our minerals from
the plants and animals that we eat. You may also take a vitamin each
day which contains many of these essential nutrients.
There are many types of living things in the spaces between aggregates
of soil, including the roots of plants. Plants can make their own
food using water, air, and energy from sunlight. They also need essential
nutrients that they generally get from the soil. Remember that
water enters the soil through the tiny spaces between aggregates.
Soil is made of broken up rock, or minerals. When the water enters
the soil, small bits of these nutrients are dissolved forming a soil solution.
Plant roots absorb dissolved nutrients from the soil solution and they
are then transported throughout the plant. Nitrogen, Phosphorous,
and Potassium are all absorbed this way.
In the next set of tests, you will measure the amount of Nitrogen, Phosphorous,
and Potassium in your soil sample. You will also test the pH of your
soil. The pH is a measure of how acidic or basic the soil is.
This determines how easy or difficult it is for plants to get the nutrients
from the soil. These tests therefore measure the amount and availability
of the nutrients plants need to grow.
Check out these web sites for more background information:
Making a Soda Bottle Filter Funnel
You will need a funnel for the following chemical tests. It
is easy to make one from a 2 liter bottle. And by using an otherwise
discarded bottle you are keeping it out of a landfill!
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Rinse a 2 liter bottle well with water and remove the label. You
can more easily peel off the label if you blow a hair dryer on it for a
few seconds.
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Cut the bottle in half about 5" from the top with scissors.
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Use the top part of the bottle as a funnel and set it in the bottom half
to catch the extract.
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