- 1). Spread each cup of soil out on a piece of paper. Look at each type of soil and compare the grain size of each.
- 2). Pour water on each type of soil. Observe the way the water moves through the soil.
- 3). Squeeze each type of soil in your fist. Clay soil will maintain the shape that you squeeze it into. Sand and loam will fall apart more easily.
- 4). Mix each type of soil with water using a clean glass for each soil type. Allow the soil to settle completely. Test each type of soil with a pH test strip. Note the pH of each soil type. Soils that are high or low in pH may not be able to access nutrients in the soil, while soil with a balanced pH, around 7.0, will be able to absorb nutrients easily.
- 5). Mix each type of soil with water using three clean glasses for each soil type. Dissolve one of three tablets from a soil test kit into each of the three glasses. Each tablet contains a chemical dye designed to detect the presence of one of the three major macronutrients in soil. One tablet will determine the presence of nitrogen, one will test for phosphorous and one for potassium in the soil. The shade that each tablet dyes the water is indicative of the level of each nutrient in the soil. Drop one tablet in each glass and observe the shade that the water turns as the chemical dye interacts with the nutrient in the soil.
- 6). Explain to observers and participants why the soil behaves in the way that it does when tested. Sandy soil is typically low in levels of nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium (NPK) because the water drains quickly and will carry away nutrients. Loamy soil is typically high in nitrogen because it is high in organic nutrients, while clay soil is high in NPK because it drains poorly and holds nutrients.
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