Each student is analyzing a soil sample brought from home. The first analysis was to calculate the percent of water, by weight, in the soil. This number, though, tells only how much was in the soil when it was brought to school. It may give a slight idea of how much water it is possible for the soil to hold, but because it represents only a snapshot in time, it doesn’t give a very complete picture.
To get an objective view of the water holding capacity, we set up a test. We filled a cylinder with a standard volume of soil, and then let the soil fill with water through capillary action over a few days. (Translation: we let the soil sit in a tube of water and “soak” up the water.) By calculating the weight change, we will be able to compare our samples for water holding.
What makes soil hold water? Up until now we have understood this to be determined by the spaces between the particles in the soil. After all, if you don’t have spaces between particles, there is nowhere for the water to go. But spaces don’t explain everything. The types of particles also matter. Sand has lots of spaces, but it doesn’t hold water well. Clay, on the other hand, can also have space, but holds water like a magnet holds to metal. The amount of clay that a soil has has a huge influence on how well soil holds water.
Is high water holding capacity good? Not necessarily. Plants grow best in soil that holds some water, but also drains well. So, having a very high water holding capacity is not desirable.
I learned a lot about my soil. My soil had a medium water holding capacity, I thought it was high before. I got my soil from some tree roots in the woods so it makes sense that it would be medium water holding capacity because in the woods many plants grow.
Over the past couple of science classes I learned alot about my soil. The first thing we tested for was how much water it was holding and based on the results I guessed that the holding capacity would be high and I was right. I Also learned that it is a clay loam which is why it can hold so much water.
Soil is the basis of all that is humane civilized society and a healthy ecosystem.
On a completely different note,
What I learned about my soil is that it’s has low water holding capacity. This is probably why my daffodils keep shriveling up.
I already knew my soil was clay so there were no surprises with the results. I made a ball out of my soil and let it dry. It was rock solid. Silt would crumble and sand can’t even make a ball.
I learned a lot about my soil in the past science classes. I learned that my soil in a clay loam and that It has a high water holding capacity. I also learned that my soil was 27.5 percent water.
My soil holds a medium amount of water. It has a .5 water holding capacity and is a silt loam. I will never look at my soil the same way.
I learned that my soil has a high water capacity, I should not plant very high care plants where I obtained my soil from. I did not know what my soil was like before this lab.
I collected my soil from my backyard near the woods. For my soil, I hypothesized that my water holding would be low. I was wrong. The water holding capacity was actually medium. I learned this in the water holding capacity lab.
I learned a lot about my soil in the past science classes. My soil has a high water holding capacity and the soil weight alone was 12.1 grams. The water holding capacity is .57 g.
I learned that my soil has a high water holding capasity.
I couldn’t predict what my water-holding capacity and I was conflicted between low and medium. I wrote down “not sure.” I later learned that my soil’s water-holding capacity was high! I found out about 75% of my soil would be made up of water if it was full!
I have learned a lot about water holding capacity. I found out that my water holding capacity is .5 grams.
Over the past few classes we have been doing experiments involving water-holding capacity in soil. Water-holding capacity is the amount of water a soil can hold. At first I thought that because of the data, my water-holding capacity would be medium but it turned out to be high! I never knew what water-holding capacity was before this class. 🙂
I learned a lot about my soil. It had a .5 water holding compacity which is medium on the water holding compacity scale. I always assumed that it was a low water holding copacity.
With doing this project I have learned how valuable the soil is. When you the plants I thought the plant just drank the water and didn’t realize that it actually was still in soil.
Before this, I didn’t know that my soil could hold so much water. Now I know that my soil is fertile and good for planting. My water holding capacity was high because it was .72. This made me realize that soil has a big part in our lives without us even knowing it.
I got my soil from my stream, so it made sense that it had high water holding capacity.
I learned a lot over these past few classes about water holding capacity. I learned that my soil has medium water holding capacity being at .6
I learned what water capacity is and how it influences plant growth.
These past few science classes have been a great experience for me to get to know my soil. I learned A LOT about water inside soil. I learned about the different particles inside soil and how they hold water in and drain it out. Sand is great at draining water, but not so much at holding it while clay is great at holding water but not draining it. It is best to have a mix of both. When I tested my soil, I predicted that my water had a large water holding capacity and after the tests, I learned that it did. This lab has also been cool because it combines two different parts of the world (earth and water) and puts them into one experiment.
I learned that my soil doesn’t have a lot of clay, because it’s water-holding capacity is very low. My soil is pretty silty and also sandy. There is some clay in my soil, but most of my soil is silt and sand. My soil is very dark in color.
I learned that my soil is loamy sand which means that it is firm and has low water capacity.
I learned that my soil had a high water holding capacity. This is most likely because it did not have as much clay in it. This is not necessarily a good thing because if there is too much water plants could have a hard time growing.
I learned that my soil had a high water-holding capacity. This means that though my soil will hold a lot of water but it won’t drain well. It’s not the best soil to grow in because it could flood any plants that grow there. I’d be better off buying some soil at a store.
I saw that my soil didn’t have too much or too little water-holding capacity. This means it held water nicely, but it didn’t hold too much.
I learned that my soil had a low water holding capacity. This is not good for growing plants in because the water does not stay in the soil, it just runs through it. There is not enough time for the plants to get water.
After I tested I figured out that my soil was very wet, which is not good for gardening. This might explain why I have never been able to keep a garden growing in my backyard.
My water holding capacity is .658 this means that my soil can hold a good amount of water it isn’t as good as good other soils at holding water but it means that my soil isn’t mostly clay or sand.
My water holding capacity is .8 which means my soil can hold a lot of water, but it isn’t the best for planting because it may hold to much water and that isn’t good for the plants because, to much water can kill most plants.
I learned that my soil has a very high water-holding capacity (0.98g). This most likely means that my soil has a lot of clay in it, which it does. My soil is silty clay loam. I dug my soil from my mothers garden so this makes a lot of sense
I learned that the soil at my home is really sandy. My water hold capacity was one of the lowest in the class. In most people’s soil, it took a very long time to get the water through the soil. Because my water is so sandy, it would mean that plants would not get that much water if they were growing in my soil.
I learned that my soil holds water very well so plants can live freely. My soil Is great planting soil for many types of plants in fact I think I should use it for symposium.
“For your soil, what did you learn about water holding capacity”?
I learned that my soil has a very high water holding capacity (1.2g). I learned that my soil is sandy clay loam and I learned that my soil is 29% water. I got my soil from my backyard.
I learned about the different particle size of the soil and how that connects too water holding capacity. I learned how clay is too small and compact for plants to grow in clay but it can hold more water. I learned silt is just perfect for plants and I learned how sand is too big and drowns the plants with water. Also we weighed some of soil from home and figured out how to find what percent of our soil is water. Then we found out what number is are soil for water holding capacity. I predicted that my soil was loamy and medium. I was about right my number water holding capacity for my soil was one, it was a little higher then I expected.
I learned that my soil has a lot clay in it so it can hold a lot of water. It was very sticky and wet when I felt it. When testing how long it took for the water to reach the top of the soil line, it took a long time to reach the top because of the smaller pore spaces. This means that my soil probably wouldn’t be good for plant growth because it holds so much water and so tightly.
I learned that my soil holds a fair amount of water. I got it where flowers usually grow in my yard so obviously it would.
I learned about the different components of soil including clay, silt and sand. I learned that if there are more, smaller pores in it then it can hold more water. I learned that you can do very simple tests to figure out what your soil is made out of. You can also do tests that can show you how much water the soil can hold. I was amazed that the tests were so easy and do not take lots of special science materials to do. We learned that plants need soil that don’t hold too much water or they will drown but not to little or they will not get enough water.
From,
Remy
I found out that my soil had a really big water holding capacity. This isn’t necessarily a good thing especially for planting. That means that the water might not make it to a plant’s roots so fast. The water goes through the soil slowly. If I had a sandy soil, then the water might go Before we did this test I thought that my soil was loamy but this test shows that my soil has a lot of clay in it. The results were not what I was expecting at all.