Educational Soil Testing

The primary objective of this post is to promote soil testing as an educational exercise, to advance the understanding of science as it relates to soil and soil nutrients and to promote useful educational activities related to soil testing such as family outings and class trips that help make learning science fun.

Life depends on soil, and soil is formed as a result of natural decomposition that happens over long periods of time. Five factors influence the formation of soil:

The material from which the soil is formed

The living organic matter that surrounds it

The climate in which the soil is found

The slope and typography of the land

The time over which the soil is created

The management of soil is critical and soil testing is an important step in conservation efforts. By using soil testing has an educational tool, students learn about environmentalist and discover job fields that lead to self-reliance.

pH level and lead testing is a great way to introduce students to soil testing.

Soil pH

Soil pH is the factor which determines whether or not plants are able to consume nutrients. If the pH is too high or too low, nutrients in the soil are unabsorbed by plants and the literally starve to death.

pH, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium are the key elements in soil that establish the health of your plants. Soil pH is important because it affects the availability of nutrients to plants and the activity of microorganisms in the soil.

pH and Lead Testing Kits available here

pH Test Kits

Enough Materials for Five Groups Working Simultaneously

Students learn the importance of this factor in soil and the effect on plant growth and nutrition as they test either their own soil samples or those that come with the kit. Also comes with materials for each group to perform five tests (making a total of 25 tests per kit), a teacher’s manual with lesson plans, and reproducible student procedure/data sheets.wp-image-2232″ />

Range: pH 3.8–8.4.

Lead Contamination

High concentrations of lead is toxic to humans and other forms of life. There are two major sources of lead contamination: 1) lead-based paint where contamination may occur when paint chips from old buildings mix with the soil; and, 2) lead from auto emissions.

Studies show that the highest lead levels in soils are found around building foundations and within a few feet of busy streets. Although lead is not presently used in paint or gasoline, lead is still a major concern because it was once widely used and can persist for a long time. Therefore, lead contamination continues to be a problem.

Lead Soil Test Kits

Simply make a slurry with your soil sample using the included reagents, then dip the slurry, and read the results. The detection level is 0–400 ppm. The kit includes instructions and enough materials for five tests.