Preparing Land For

Planting:
Conducting Soil
Analysis
QUARTER 1: MODULE 3
PRETEST:
1. S _ _ L

– Soil, also commonly referred to as

earth, is a mixture of organic matter,
minerals, gases, liquids, and organisms
that together support the life of plants
and soil organisms.
PRETEST:

2. _ A _ D

- the part of the earth’s surface that is not

covered by water, as opposed to the sea
or the air.
PRETEST:

3. A _ K _ L _ _ _ T _

- is the capacity of water to resist

acidification.
PRETEST:

4. A_ I _ I _ Y

- the level of acid in substances such as

water, soil, or wine.
PRETEST:

5. P_ _ K M _ _ _ O C _

- used for digging up hard soil and rock

GUESS THE CHEMICAL
ELEMENTS GIVEN
ITS SYMBOLS
Zn
Zinc
Cu
Copper
Fe
Iron
Mn
Manganese
B
Boron
Soil analysis is a set of various chemical processes
that determine the amount of available plant
nutrients in the soil, but also the chemical,
physical and biological soil properties important
for plant nutrition, or “soil health”. Chemical soil
analysis determines the content of basic plant
nutrients; nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P2O5), potassium
(K2O), pH, humus content, total CaCO3, available
lime, organic matter, total sulfur (S), trace elements,
and other physical characteristics (capacity,
permeability, density, and pH value).
Soil Test Kit

It includes everything you need

to perform ten tests for each of the
following factors: nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, and pH
(acidity / alkalinity). It
contains test capsules, mixing
How to Test Your Soil

If you are taking the time to test the

soil, then you want to record and
keep track of the results. This will
help take the guesswork out of what
next steps you need to take for
healthier soils or fertilization, and
Step 1: Take your soil samples.
Gather your soil from the areas
you are interested in testing.

Step 2: Create a soil and water mixture to

set aside.
 To get a good nutrient reading, you need to first
create a soil to water mixture ratio at 1-part soil to 5-
parts water. Use distilled water if possible. Place
this in a sealable, clean container and shake
vigorously for at least one minute. Allow it to sit
undisturbed until the soil settles out from the water.
Depending on the types of soils you have, this could
take anywhere from a half hour to 24 hours. You
want the water to be as clear as possible although
cloudiness will not affect the testing accuracy.
Step 3: Take pH.
Take the pH level first to help establish the
ability of your soil to hold the nutrients. You
can do this any time and have the results in
minutes. It does not require the soil and water
mixture from step 2.
Step 4: Take the nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium (potash).
The steps to measure these nutrients are all
the same. In other kits are color coded: test tube
caps color matches the capsule. Purple for
nitrogen, blue for phosphorus, and orange for
potash, which are nicely matched up.

Step 5: Record the results and plan for soil

amendment / fertilization if needed.
 As mentioned, it is a good idea to
write down what the results are. This is
especially true if you are testing multiple
areas, but even if you are only working with
one spot, it is smart to keep a record. So, you
can compare the results after fertilizing and
amending soils.
How to Test the pH of Soil without a Kit

Test for ALKALINITY

First, test your soil for alkalinity by
placing approximately 2 tablespoons of soil
into a container and adding a half cup of white
vinegar to it. If it fizzes, then you have alkaline
soils with a pH between 7 and 8.
Test for ACIDITY

If your soil doesn’t fizz, add distilled water to 2

tablespoons of soil in a container until you have
squishy mud. Add a half cup of baking soda
and stir. If it fizzes, you have acidic soil with a
pH between 5 and 6. If theres no reaction at all,
you have a neutral soil with a pH 7.0.
Soil Analysis Laboratory

As soon as the samples arrive at the soil

testing laboratory, they should be
checked against the accompanying
information list. If the laboratory
personnel has collected the samples
themselves, then adequate field notes
should have been kept. All unidentified
samples should be discarded.
Information regarding samples should be
recorded in a register, and each sample
should be given a laboratory number in
addition to the sample number, to help to
distinguish it where more that one source of
samples is involved.
Samples received in the laboratory may be
moist. They should be dried in wooden or
enameled trays. Care should be taken to
maintain the identity of each sample at all
stages of preparation. During drying, the
trays can be numbered, or a plastic tag can
be attached. The samples are allowed to dry
in the air.
Alternatively, the trays may be placed in
racks in a hot-air cabinet, whose
temperature should not
exceed 35 °C and whose relative humidity
should be 3060 percent. Oven drying a
soil can cause profound changes in the
sample. This step is not recommended as a
3 preparatory procedure despite its
convenience.
Drying has a negligible effect on the
total N content, but the nitrate content in the
soil changes with time and temperature.
Drying at a high temperature affects the
microbial population. With excessive drying,
soil K may be released or fixed depending
on the original level of exchangeable K.
Exchangeable K will increase if its original
level was less than 1 me / 100 g.
Soil (1 cmol / kg) and vice versa, but the
effect depends on the nature of clay
minerals in the soil. In general, excessive
drying, such as oven drying of the soil,
affects the availability of most of the
nutrients present in the sample and should
be avoided. Only air drying is
recommended.
 Nitrate, nitrite, and ammonium
determinations must be carried out on
samples brought straight from the field. These
samples should not be dried. However, the
results are expressed on an oven-dry basis
by estimating separately the moisture content
in the samples.
 After drying, the samples are taken to the
preparation room. Air-dried samples
are ground with a wooden pestle and mortar
so that the soil aggregate is crushed but the
soil particles do not break down. Samples of
heavy clay soils may have to be ground with
an end-runner grinding mill fitted with a pestle
of hard wood and rubber lining to the mortar.
Pebbles, concretions and stones should not
be broken during grinding. After grinding, the
soil is screened through a 2-mm sieve. The
practice of passing only a portion of the
ground sample through the sieve and
discarding the remainder is erroneous. This
introduces a positive bias in the sample as
the rejected part may include soil elements
with differential fertility.
 Therefore, the entire sample should be passed
through the sieve except for concretions and
pebbles of more than 2 mm. The coarse portion
on the sieve should be returned to the mortar for
further grinding. Repeat sieving and grinding
until all aggregate particles are fine enough to
pass the sieve and only pebbles, organic
residues and concretions remain.
If the soil is to be analyzed for trace elements,
containers made of copper, zinc and brass must
be avoided during grinding and handling. Sieves
of different sizes can be obtained in stainless
steel. Aluminum or plastic sieves are useful
alternative for general purposes. After the sample
has passed through the sieve, it must be mixed
again thoroughly. The soil samples should be
stored in cardboard boxes in wooden drawers.
 These boxes should be numbered and
arranged in rows in the wooden drawers,
which are in turn fitted in a cabinet in the
soil sample room.
Analytical Methods

The following estimations are generally carried out in a

service-oriented soil testing laboratory: soil texture, soil
structure, cation exchange capacity (CEC), soil
moisture, water holding capacity, pH, lime requirement,
electrical conductivity, gypsum requirement, organic C,
total N, mineralizable N, inorganic N, available P,
available K, available S, calcium, calcium plus
magnesium, micronutrients available Zn, Cu, Fe, Mn,
B and Mo.
Aims of Soil Analysis

1. to determine the level of availability of nutrients

2. to predict the increase in yields and profitability of
fertilization
3. to provide the basis for calculating the required
fertilizing of each crop
4. to evaluate the status (supply) of each nutrient
element and simultaneously determine the
compensation plan (nutrient management)
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)

It is a measure of the soils ability to hold

positively charged ions. It is a very
important soil property influencing the soil
structure stability, nutrient availability, soil
pH and the soils reaction to fertilizers and
other ameliorants (Hazleton and Murphy
2007).
What is NPK?
It is time to feed your plants and when you
go to the store to buy some plant food, it is
called fertilizer. Most packages of fertilizer
show the letters NPK followed by some
numbers, for example: NPK 10-5-5. NPK stands
for nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium
which are three of the most important nutrients
required by plants. The numbers following NPK
are the percent amounts of each nutrient. An
QUIZ
QUARTER 1: MODULE 3
Test 1: Multiple Choice

1. _____ a set of various chemical processes that

determine the amount of available plant nutrients in
the soil, but also the chemical, physical and biological
soil properties important for plant nutrition, or
“soil health”.

a.) Soil Analytic c.) Soil Analysiz

b.) Soil Analysis
2. It is a measure of the soils ability to hold positively
charged ions.

a.) Cation Exchange Capacity

b.) Capture Exchange Capacity
c.) Collaboration Exchange Capacity
3. It includes everything you need to perform ten
tests for each of the following factors: nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, and pH (acidity / alkalinity).
It contains test capsules, mixing chambers, dropper,
color comparison chart, pH preferences for over
450 plants.

a.) Alkalinity Test Kit

b.) Soil Test Kit
c.) Acidity Test Kit
3. It includes everything you need to perform ten
tests for each of the following factors: nitrogen,
phosphorus, potassium, and pH (acidity / alkalinity).
It contains test capsules, mixing chambers, dropper,
color comparison chart, pH preferences for over
450 plants.

a.) Alkalinity Test Kit

b.) Soil Test Kit
c.) Acidity Test Kit
4. After drying, the samples are taken to the
_______ room.

a.) Laboratory
b.) Research
c.) Preparation
5. First, test your soil for alkalinity by
placing approximately 2 tablespoons of soil
into a container and adding a half cup of white
vinegar to it. If it fizzes, then you have alkaline
soils with a pH between __ and __.

a.) 7&8 c.) 9&8

b.) 6&7
TEST II: Fill In the Blanks

biological nutrients plant

Soil Analysis chemical

1.) ______ is a set of various 2.) ______ processes

that determine the amount of available plant 3.)
_____ in the soil, but also the chemical, physical
and 4.) ______ soil properties important for
5.)_____nutrition, or “soil health”.
TEST III: Enumeration
11-13
NPK stands for?

14-20
Zinc – Sulfur –
Copper – Manganese –
Molybdenum –
Iron –
Boron –
Produce Vegetables
– Preparing Land
For Planting
QUARTER 1: MODULE 4
TOOLS, IMPLEMENTS, AND SIMPLE
EQUIPMENT
HAND TOOLS

Hand tools are usually light and are used

without the help of animals or machines. They
are used in performing farm activities that
involve small areas like the school garden and
home garden.
HAND TOOLS ILLUSTRATION FUNCTION

Bolo Used for cutting weeds

and small branches of
trees, digging small
holes, and pulverizing
soil
Scythe/ Sickle Used for cutting weeds
and for harvesting
Pruning shears Used for pruning
unnecessary branches
and cutting planting
materials

Knife Used for cutting plant

materials

Scissors Used for cutting

planting materials
Post-hole Used for digging holes
Digger

Pick Mattock • Used for digging

canals
• Used for removing
stumps and
stones
Crowbar Used for digging up big
stones and tree stumps
Spade Used for digging
canals and ditches

Shovel Used for digging loose

soil, removing trash,
transferring soil from
one place to another,
and for mixing soil
media
Hand Trowel •Used for balling
seedlings
• Used for cultivating
soil around the plants
Grab Hoe Used for breaking hard
topsoil and pulverizing
the soil

Hand Cultivator Used for cultivating

garden plot by
loosening the soil and
removing young weeds
around
the plants
Hand Fork Used for inter-row
cultivation
Spading fork Used for loosening the
soil, digging out root
crops, and turning over
the materials in a
compost heap
Rake Used for levelling
topsoil

Wheel barrow Used for hauling trash,

compost,
and fertilizers
Sprinkler Used for watering

Knapsack Sprayer Used for spraying

pesticides and
liquid fertilizers in wide
areas

Trigger Sprayer Used for spraying in

small
areas
FARM IMPLEMENTS

Farm implements are accessories either being pulled

by animals or mounted machinery. These are made
from different materials. For native plow and
harrow,these are made of wood and some parts are
metal. In the case of disc plow, discharrow and
rotavator, these are made from metal. These
implements are generally used to till, pulverize, level
the soil, and make furrows.
Native/ Disc Used for tilling the
land
Plow

Native / Disc Used for pulverizing

Harrow and levelling the soil

Rotavator Used for tilling and

pulverizing the soil
Equipment are machineries used in
horticultural farm operations
Hand Tractor Used to plow and
harrow in preparing a
large area of land

Water Pump Used to draw water

from the source
QUIZ
QUARTER 1: MODULE 4
Test 1: Multiple Choice

1. Used for cutting weeds and small branches of trees,

digging small holes, and pulverizing soil
a.) Wheel Barrow c.) Sprinkler
b.) Bolo

2. Used for hauling trash, compost,

and fertilizers
a.) Wheel Barrow c.) Knapsack Sprayer
b.) Bolo
3. ______ are usually light and are used without the
help of animals or machines.
a.) Farm Implements c.) Equipments
b.) Hand Tools

4. _________ are accessories either being pulled by

animals or mounted machinery. These are made from
different materials.
a.) Farm Implements c.) Equipments
b.) Hand Tools
5. ______ are machineries used in horticultural farm
operations
a.) Farm Implements c.) Equipments
b.) Hand Tools

6. Used to draw water from the source.

a.) Water Pump
b.) Sprinkler
c.) Knapsack Sprayer
7. The following hand tools are used for cutting planting
materials EXCEPT ONE:
a.) Knife
b.) Scissors
c.) Wheel Barrow

8. The following are Farm Implements EXCEPT ONE:

a.) Rotavator
b.) Disc Harrow
c.) Hand Tractor
9. It is used for levelling topsoil
a.) Pick Mattock
b.) Bolo
c.) Rake

10. It is used to plow and harrow in preparing a large are

of land.
a.) Hand Tractor
b.) Wheel Barrow
c.) Rake
Test 2: Enumeration
11-15
Give at least 5 examples of hand tools.

16-18
Give the 3 examples of Farm Implements given in the
presentation.

19-20
Give the 2 examples of equipments given in the
presentation.