Testing Your Soil (Great Project For Kids)
Posted on 01 July 2009
1. Fill a liter jar with 1/3 soil to be tested.
2. Fill the jar 2/3 with water and add 1 teaspoon of liquid dish detergent or table salt.
3. Shake the jar thoroughly and let the contents settle overnight (at the very least) or several days (for the best measurements..
4. Measure the depths of the different layers.
The bottom layer will be the sand and the next layer will be sand… the top layer will be hummus (biomass material) which will also be floating in the water.
5. If your soil has more sand (larger particles) than clay it will drain quickly and is good for desert plants. If your soil is has more clay (smaller particles) than sand it will drain slowly and is good for water plants. If there is an equal amount of both it has average drainage perfect for most plants.