Soil Properties

NC Standard:  2.02, 2.03

Activity:  Growing Plants

Question: What does soil have to do with plant growth?

Vocabulary: clay, humus, sand, soil, water

Materials: scissors, clear plastic cups, paper towels, small pie cans, soil samples from different areas.

Background: An important component of soil is the spaces between soil particles. These spaces are critical to plant growth, since that is where roots grow and moisture and air are trapped. Moisture facilitates the transfer of nutrients to the roots.

Procedure: 

Students need to collect 2 cups of soil. The soil should be from different locations - low or wet spots, baseball fields, gardens, lawns, under trees, or forested areas. This can be done on the school grounds or by having students bring a soil sample from a site around their home. Large zip lock baggies work well for collecting soil samples.

• 1. Have students put 6 holes around the bottom of a clear plastic cup.

• 2. Fill the cup with soil.

• 3. Place the cup of soil in the pie pan.

• 4. Plant a bean seed 2 inches deep in your cup of soil.

• 5. Place cups on a window sill where they will get light.

• 6. Add 30 ml of water to the cup daily.

• 7. Observe daily and record any changes.

• 8. Discuss results of your seed growth experiment. Why did some seeds grow better than others?
  

Conclusion: All soils are not the same. How well a seed grows depends on the composition of the soil and what nutrients the particular seed needs.
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Line of Learning:  This line is drawn to provide students with a space to share their experimental learning in words or pictures.
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