Thursday, November 15, 2012

Remediation Lab

Remediation
Our soil sample, as tested in the soil fertility analysis, had a perfect pH of 7.0 and therefore didn't need remediation in our designed controlled experiment. However, while the pH was good, the amounts of phosphorus, nitrogen, and potassium were not. There were low amounts of both phosphorus and potassium in our soil sample, and there amounts of nitrogen were trace. In the remediated soil, we added a liquid fertilizer that would increase the amount of all three of these elements in the soil to sustain plant and organism life. Because of the low amounts of these elements in the soil, there weren't many organisms found, as shown in the Berlese funnel experiment. Without the elements, organisms are unable to survive. Also, in the experiment to fin the percent of organic matter in a sample of our soil, we found that there was a low amount of organic matter in the soil which organisms need in order to live, so adding the fertilizer helped increase iesthe amount of organic matter in the soil in order for organisms to survive. The seeds planted in the remediated soil were compared to a controlled experiment and watered daily. We expected that the remediated soil would have more sprouts, which it did after about a week and a half.


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