Part 1- Calculate and record the percent sand, silt and clay in the soil sample

80% sand
20% silt
15% clay
Use the soil textural triangle to determine the texture of the soil sample
Loam Sand


Part 2- Postlab QuestionsWrite out and respond to the following questions.

1. Use the soil triangle to determine the type of soils with the following particle sizes
a. 20% silt, 10% clay, 70% sand
Sandy Loam
b. 30% sand, 10% clay, 60% silt
Silt Loam
c. 10% silt, 50% sand, 40% clay
Sandy Clay
d. 30% clay, 30% sand, 40% silt
Clay Loam
e. 60% clay, 10% sand, 30% silt
Clay
f. 40% sand, 10% silt, 50% clay
Clay

2. List and describe three ways in which soil pH affects an ecosystem.
Growth rate, abundance, and reproduction.
Reduction of bacteria: Loss
3. What types of vegetation does soil of the type and pH you sampled best support?
Sandy, the Ph was 7.
4. What would be the ideal type and pH of soil to have around a home?
Loam: pH of 6.0-7.5
5. What would be the ideal type and pH of soil for agriculture?
Loam: pH of 6.5-7.5
6. How do farmers adjust the pH of soils?
The neutralize the soil by adding sulfur.


Part 3 -
A: Using the method described above, try to classify your soil as mostly sand, mostly
silt or mostly clay. How did you classify your soil based on this by hand method?
What lead you to this conclusion?
It was mostly sandy.

B: Now use the dichotomous key to classify your soil. What soil texture would you
classify your sample based on this method?
Sand.
C: Do it again with the flow diagram- how would you classify your soil now?
The soil is still sand.
D: Did your answers to all of the methods agree with each other? Why or why not?
No, I got some difference, because they were slightly different.


Conclusion:

The type of soil was sand, with a pH of 7 and based was neutral. We added 25Ml of
water in a graduated cylinder, and 25 of the soil and 5 of soap and mixed it up for
10 minutes and let it set up for a day. The next day we checked out the pH water that
resulted a 7. We tested the water pH, the percent of the silk, sand, and clay in order
to figured out what type of soil our was. Also what could be better to use it on. We
use method three, the pyramid to help us balance the percent and have a accurate
type of soil. We concluded that the soil was sand.