Soil Analysis

[Dry Percolation Rate]

Autumn Jones
[October 20, 2013]

Objective: To determine the soil health from the Harborside community urban
garden.

Hypothesis: If the water flows through the soil quickly, then the soil is healthy
because it can be irrigated faster.
Materials:
16 oz. water bottle
100 mL test tube
100 mL of water
Soil sample
Coffee filter
Timer
Calculator
Procedure: 1. Place the filter paper in the neck of the water bottle that has been
cut so as to act like a funnel.
2. Fill the filter paper in the funnel with the soil sample, leaving 1 cm from the top.
3. Place the funnel into the bottom part of the cut water bottle so that the water is
collected when it drains.
4. Figure out the water per surface area in cubic centimeters for the bottle.
5. While timing, pour the water through the sample and measure the ending water
volume.
7. Record the time and water volume.
Safety Concerns: There were no apparent safety concerns in the percolation test.
Data Table and Observations:
Dry Percolation Rate Table
Sand

Clay

Your Sample

Sample Area (cm3)

33.16

33.16

33.16

Time Elapsed (sec)

44.37

29.07

20.39

Water Volume (mL)

13

84

The sand and clay seemed to soak up a lot of the water compared to the soil
sample. The soil sample from the garden was healthy and loose as the water flowed
through quickly and most of the water went through.

Calculations:
Volumeareatime
Sand: 333.1644.37
= 0.00204 cm3
Clay: 1333.1629.07
= 0.0135 cm3
My sample: 8433.1620.39
= 0.1242 cm3
Data Analysis: There isnt an apparent pattern between the results of each
samples test. However, the percolation rate for each sample is relatively small. The
sand seemed to absorb a lot of the water because the ending water volume was
small comparatively to the clay and soil sample. The coffee filter also absorbed a
good amount of the water that was poured through.
Results: After performing the percolation test for the soil sample from the
Harborside community urban garden, it was found that the percolation rate was
very fast. The time it took for all the water to flow through was only 20.39 seconds.
The ending water volume was 84 milliliters, which means only 16 milliliters stayed
in the soil throughout this process. Once the volume divided by the area divided by
the time was calculated, the percolation rate was 0.1242 cm 3.
Conclusion: The purpose of the whole experiment was to determine the soil health
from the Harborside community urban garden. Along with that, the purpose of the
percolation test was to figure out how fast water flows through the dry soil sample.
After completing the test, the results of the dry percolation rate was 0.1242 cm 3.
During this experiment, as ordinary as it may sound, I learned what percolation
meant. I had no idea what percolation was before, and I now know that its when
liquid passes through a filter. Throughout this experiment, there were no major
changes except for the fact that the clay and sand were already tested beforehand.
An experimental error was that a few drops of water splashed out at one point, but
not so much that it would change the results.
Implications for Further Research: A question that arose from this experiment
was; is it healthy if as much water soaks though as it did for the gardens soil
sample? Or should more water stay absorbed in the sample so to irrigate the soil
more? In the future, a way to test this question would be to (once an irrigation
system is developed) test different samples from all around the garden and all the
beds. This would allow maximum research so as to figure out how much water the
plants should have and what quality the soil is in.