Sec I
Last Update Feb., 20, 2008
The student will copy the diagram-chart shown below by hand using coloured pencils. Students will apply a Header or Title and label the diagram completely. Name and date must be on the diagram also. Name on top right and date on top left. After copying the diagram the student will answer the questions shown below.
Soil Types
Soils can be divided into three basic classifications: sands, loams, and clays. There is great variation within these basic groups, but these categories will suffice for the purpose of describing where a given plant will or will not grow.
Sandy Soils, referred to as "light" soils, contain large sized soil particles that are loose and easy to work. They allow water to drain readily and tend to be low in nutrients. Sandy soils tend to be more acid than the more fertile loams and clays. If your soil has a pH lower than 5, consider adding lime or wood ashes to bring it closer to a pH of 6 or 7.
Clay Soils are commonly known as "heavy" soils. Consisting of very small, tightly packed soil particles, clays tend to be dense and hard to work. However, they are generally rich in nutrients, have a high water-holding capacity, and can be very productive.
Loamy Soils are "intermediate"
between sands and clays. Composed of many different sized
soil particles,
they combine fertility and moisture-holding capacity with good
drainage.
Easier to work than clays and better consolidated than sands, loamy
soils
make an excellent medium for growing most plants. Many prairie plants
do
best in loam soils.
Source: http://www.wildflowerfarm.com/soil.htm
Questions:
1) List the 3 basic types of soils.
2) What is a heavy soil, and
what constitutesa heavy soil?
3) Describe a loamy soil.\
4) What type of soil
allows water to drain easily and why do they allow water to drain
easily?
The student must then answer the following questions by first writing out the question and then writing the answer directly afterwards. This part can be done on computer using cut & paste.
1.