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Damaged Soil
Soil
is a complex mixture of sand, silt, and clay, and bits of decaying animal
and plant tissue. Soil has four major components: minerals (50%),
plant and animal matter (10%), water (20%), and air (20%). In our
experiment, we had to change the pH of soils to make them more acidic and
basic. We added soil acidifier, which is a substance you add to soil
to make it more acidic, to the soil to make the plants grow in a more acidic
environment. To make the soil more basic, we add lime, which is a
substance you add to make the soil more basic.
The
pH of soil is the acidity or the alkalinity (base) of soil. pH also measures
the amount of potential hydrogen in soil. The pH is measured on a 14-point
scale. A soil is considered to be neutral when it has a pH of 7.0. Soils
that have a pH below 7.0 are considered acidic while soils above 7.0 are
basic. In soils that are acidic, the solution contains more hydrogen ion
than hydroxyl. In basic soils, is it the opposite. Most plants grow best
in a pH range of 4.0 - 10.0.
| Abstract | Introduction |
| Hypothesis | Materials |
| Set-up | Procedure |
| Observations | Results/Conclusions |