Soil Test Lab Kit

This economical soil testing kit is a great tool for studying the effects of soil nutrients on plant growth or to improve your garden! You will learn to sample your soil, prepare it for testing, and then complete the four analytical chemistry tests to determine pH and the nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorous content. The hands-on chemistry portion of the tests will be especially rewarding for most students as they measure, add chemicals, mix, and analyze the results. This kit has sufficient chemicals to perform each of the four tests ten times.

The four soil tests have semi-quantitative results as follows:

• pH: 4.5 to 7.5 in 0.5 pH increments
• Nitrate: low to high in five increments
• Phosphorous: low to high in five increments
• Potassium: low to high in five increments

Use this kit to help study the effects of soil nutrients for your science fair project. Prepare different soils with various pH and nutrient levels and then observe the effects on plant growth. The instruction booklet for this kit includes ideas for adjusting pH and nutrient content and also lists the best pH range for many flower varieties.

Science Fair Project Ideas:

• Does pH level affect plant growth? What happens if the nutrient level is the same for two soils, but the pH is different?
• Does adding peat moss to soil lower or raise the pH level? What about adding fertilizer?