Goal: We will review soil notes from our lab and reading experience.

Soil Definition: a mixture of rock, organic material, water, and air found on earth’s surface Kid Friendly Definition: dirt that has food for plants so they can grow) Example: the soil in our garden that we use to plant seeds

Dirt Definition: soil that has lost its characteristics to support life Kid Friendly Definition: dead soil Example: dirt is under our fingernails and in our shoes

Permeability Definition: the ability of fluids to flow through soil Kid Friendly Definition: a maze of rocks that water can travel through Example: water filtering through rocks to reach an aquifer

Physical Weathering Definition: rocks are broken down into smaller pieces by natural forces Kid Friendly Definition: wind, air, water, and ice breaking rocks apart-forces breaking rocks into small pieces Example: a hurricane destroying a tree or lightening destroying rock

Chemical Weathering Definition: the chemical composition of a rock that is changing Kid Friendly Definition: rocks look different because of something that is changing inside the rock Example: rocks changing color due to acid rain

Humus Definition: decomposed organic materials used to make soil Kid Friendly Definition: Dead plants that help to make the soil better for plants Example: dead plants and animals mixing into the soil (compost)

Aerate Definition: provides pockets of air in soil Kid Friendly Definition: small holes in the soil Example: pocking holes in your yard so rain and nutrients can get through

Soil Horizons Definition: different layers of soil Kid Friendly Definition: different colors in the soil that make up layers Example: the layers of soil in your yard

A Horizon Definition: also called topsoil, contains organic matter like roots, its well aerated, and contains Humus. Example: The A Horizon contains earthworms and insects.

B Horizon Definition: lighter in color, fewer organism, some plant roots, contains iron oxides and other materials leached from the A Horizon. Example: See picture to the right!

C Horizon Definition: mostly weathered material from the surrounding rocks Example: see picture to the right

Bedrock (R Horizon) Definition; Also called the R layer, located under the C Horizon, un-weathered rock from which soil can form Example: see picture to the right

O Horizon Definition: the surface layer that contains large amounts of humus Example: see the surface layer to the right

Percolates Definition: the ability of fluids such as water to flow through soil Kid Friendly Definition: Water goes through soil Example: water flowing through soil to reach ground water

Leaching Definition: when water filters downward through soil horizons carrying dissolved minerals Kid Friendly Definition: minerals go down into the soil and goes under the topsoil Example: water filtering through the grass in your backyard

Soil Erosion Definition: the transport of soil materials by wind, water, and ice Kid Friendly Definition: Nature beating up soil and moving it Example: when wind, water, and ice move soil to another place (see picture)

3 Main Soil Textures Sand Silt Clay

Mixture Definition: something that is made of two or more things mixed together Example: Soil is a mixture of sand, silt, and clay that also contains organic materials

Nutrients Definition: essential chemical elements needed for healthy plant growth Example: soil that has earthworms, insects, manure, and humus

macronutrients Definition: essential chemical elements needed in large amounts for the growth of healthy plants Example: without macronutrients is will be difficult for plants to grow

Bugs, worms, and burrowers Definition: these organisms aerate and mix the soil Example: they provide air within soil for plants to receive nutrients

Potassium Definition: helps a plant grow new cells and helps prevent disease along with harsh weather conditions Example: helps plants grow strong stems

Phosphorus Definition: helps plants grow healthy roots, helps plants grow strong, and produce flowers and fruit Example: see the flowered picture to the right

Nitrogen Definition: plants use this to make chlorophyll along with supporting healthy green leaves Example: (green part of the plant that helps in photosynthesis)

PH Definition: a measure of how acidic or basic something is Example: there is a range of (0-7) where 0 is very acidic and 7 is basic

Identify Soil Type Step One Find the percent of sand, silt, and clay after being given readings A,B,and C. Example: use the formulas to calculate the below percentages Silt: 20% Clay: 30% Sand: 50%   Reading A = 10 cm Reading B = 5 cm Reading C = 7cm % sand (Reading B )________ X 100 / (Reading A) ______ = _________________________ % silt ((Reading C) ______ - (Reading B) _____ )= x 100 / (Reading A) _______ = __________________ % clay 100 – % Sand ______ - % Silt ______ = ___________________

Identify Soil Type (Soil Triangle) The soil to the right would be a Sandy Clay Loam. We use the soil percentages from the previous slide and used this triangle pyramid to locate the soil type. You will be provided a triangle on the assessment and will need to calculate the soil percentages as modeled on the previous slide.

Soil Facts (potential short answer question) Soil provides life for other organisms such as microorganisms that depend on soil for food Soil is a mixture of rock, organic material, water, and air found on earth’s surface Soil provides nutrients for plants that use photosynthesis to make their own food to feed other organisms and release oxygen into the air so organisms can breathe More Growing Facts: Nitrogen: helps plants grow faster Potassium: gives plants new cells Phosphorus: helps develop root systems in plants