Soil Test in a Glass Jar

Test your soil with this interesting scientific experiment!

Materials:

• 25-30 oz glass jar
• Soil – see below
• Ruler
• Shovel
• Measuring cup
• Dish soap
• Teaspoon

Procedure:

1. First find a 25-30 oz glass jar with lid. Could be bigger but not smaller.
2. Look for areas near your home with different types of vegetation. For example: near the beach and up a mountain (2 samples to compare).
3. With the help of an adult, use a shovel to take out soil sample (at least 12” deep).
4. Add 1 cup of soil + ½ tsp dish soap + 2 cups of water.
   • 1 part soil : 2 parts water
5. Shake well until everything is mixed and let sit for 24 hours

Findings:

After 24 hours check your experiment. As with any experiment, It is a good idea to take notes in your nature journal, of your procedures and findings.

• Bottom layer will be sand.
• Middle layer will be silt.
• Top layer will be clay.
• Organic matter will float to top.

Ask an adult to help you collect data on your experiment.

If you find equal parts of sand and silt with a small layer of clay…..YOU HAVE GOOD SOIL!

• 40% sand + 40% silt +20% clay + floating organic matter = GOOD SOIL!!!!!

The pH Test:

Test your soil’s pH with a simple and FUN experiment. Don’t forget to always take notes in your nature journal.

Materials:

• tablespoon
• glass of water
• towel
• vinegar
• baking soda

Procedure:

1. Grab a spoonful of dry soil and add a few drops of vinegar.
   • If it fizzes you have alkaline soil (>7.5)

2. Clean spoon and grab new spoonful of soil, add a few drops of water and sprinkle some baking soda.
   • if it fizzes your soil is acidic (<5)

Findings:
Always remember junior gardeners, the best ways to maintain happy balanced soil is to add 2-3 inches of compost on top of your garden as a mulch. It is cheap, retains moisture, attracts earthworms (that tickle roots) and keeps plants fed.

Glossary:

• soil – a complex mixture of minerals, water, air, organic matter, and countless organisms that are the decaying remains of once-living things. It forms at the surface of land – it is the “skin of the earth.” Soil is capable of supporting plant life and is vital to life on earth.

• sand – tiny, loose grains of ground rock, found on beaches and in deserts

• clay – a heavy, sticky material from the earth that is made into different shapes and that becomes hard when it is baked or dried

• silt – fine particles of earth, clay or sand that eventually settle out of water

• organic matter – matter composed of organic compounds that has come from the remains of organisms such as plants and animals and their waste products in the environment.

• sample – a small quantity of something

• compost – Most gardens thrive with the help of a compost This rotted, homemade mixture of organic matter is often called synthetic manure. Compost supplies plants with food and improves soil structure.

• nature journal – where you can keep a record of observations and experiment procedures

• pH – is a measure of how acidic or basic the substance is. Measured on a scale from 0 to 14, pH is based on the concentration of hydrogen ions in a solution

• alkaline – having a pH above 7

• acid – having a pH less than 7

• junior gardener – you

sourced from Life Lab, Wikipedia and CultivatorsCorner.com