Soil Flashcards
soil. ph. minerals. elements. water
is what letter is capital in ph
lowercase p Capital H
what does pH mean
p - inverse log function
H - Hydrogen
what element is C
carbon
What element is H
Hydrogen
what element is O
oxygen
what element is N
Nitrogen
What element is P
phosphorus
what element is K
potassium
why is potassium K
K for Kalium. its German
what is pH
measurement for hydrogen ions
what is H in reference to ions
it has no charge
what is H+ in reference to charged ions
positively charged. a cation.
what is H- in reference to ions
negatively charged. a anion
what does water molecules look like
mickey mouse. 2 hydrogen ears, 1 oxygen body.
adhesion
sticking to something else
cohesion
sticks to itself
are water molecules polar
yes
what makes surface tension
cohesion and adhesion
how does water go ups stuff
it pulls itself up
what is a universal solvent
water
is hydrogen positive or negative
positive
is hydroxide positive or negative
negative
what is soil made up of
minerals, water, air, organic matter
what are the minerals in soil
sand, silt, clay
what is the pH scale
0-14.
0-7: acidic
7: neutral
8-14: base/alkaline
what percent of soil is water
25%
what percent of soil is minerals
45%
what percent of soil is air
25%
what is in air
oxygen and nitrogen
what percent of soil is organic matter
5%
what are sand particles
biggest particle
.05mm - 2.0mm
round, gritty, adds porosity, reduces water holding capacity
what is silt
medium particle
.002mm-.05mm
round but hard to detect, smooth but does not stick together well, good for porosity, helps water holding capacity
what do ribbon tests check for
clay
what is clay
smallest particle
less than .002mm
flat, platy, sticky when wet, bad for porosity, ties up water so plants can use it.
what is a loam
mix of sand, silt, clay optimal for plant growing
permeability rate
how quickly water goes through soil
water holding capacity
how much water is retained by soil particles
what does permeability depend on
texture, structure, organic matter (porosity)
what makes pores in soil
roots, organic matter, animals, soil particle size/fit
rapid permeability characteristics
sands and silts. strong to any. porous
slow permeability characteristics
clays, weak and massive, not porous.
high water holding capacity characteristics
silts, loams, clays. organic matter present
low water holding capacity characteristics
sand. organic matter absent
available water
free for plants to use
unavailable water
held too tightly by clay particles and surface tension
saturated soils
have excess water that will run off increasing erosion concerns
essential elements for proper growth and plant development
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
macronutrients elements for proper growth and plant development
calcium, magnesium, nitrogen, phosphorus. potassium, sulfur
micronutrients elements for proper growth and plant development
boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum, zinc
elements found in atmosphere
carbon, hydrogen, oxygen
atmospheric elements combine into what
carbon dioxide, water, glucose
macro nutrients are required in large or trace amounts
large
micronutrients are required in high or trace amounts
trace
primary are required in the highest or lower
highest
secondary are required in the highest or lower amounts
lower
primary macronutrients
Nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium
what is nitrogen for
present in chlorophyll
increases vegetive growth
deficiency symptoms: stunted growth, pale yellow color, yellow color fires
nitrogen deficiency symptoms
stunted growth, pale yellow color, yellow color fires
what is phosphorous for
early plant growth
reproduction
what is potassium for
photosynthesis, primarily sugar transformation
phosphorous deficiency symptoms
reddish coloring on underside of leaves. low quantity of flowers and fruits, weak and spindly growth
potassium deficiency
slow growth, brown leaf tips and leaf margins, poor fruit and seed quality
secondary macronutrients
calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), sulfur (S)
what is sulfur for
amino acids, enzyme production chlorophyll formation
what is magnesium for
produces chlorophyll, regulates plant nutrient metabolism
sources of plant nutrients
organic substances, legumes, chemical fertalizers
legumes
peanuts, soybeans, vetch
organic substances
manure, sludge, compost.
what do legumes do
fix nitrogen. improves nitrogen content in soil, often rotated with nitrogen depleting crops since most other crops deplete nitrogen
what do organic substances do
manure contains nutrients in varying amounts. composting raises organic matter content destroying pathogens
chemical fertilizers
manufactured fertilizers. inorganic compounds concentrate desired nutrients.
forms of chemical fertilizers
dry, liquid, liquid soluble powder
benifits and disadvantages of manufactured fertalizers
benefits: easy to apply, concentrated, readily available, formulated plants needs
disadvantages: expensive, petroleum based
is it easier to make a soil more alkaline or acidic
its easier to de-acidify. you can add lime.
if pH is wrong will fertilizer help
no. you need to fix the pH
