Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

My project is "What is the Effect of the Type of Fertilizer on how much the Soil pH is decreased?" I need this question answered because I need an idea of how long it will take me to perform this experiment. Please respond soon!

Hello Vicel!
Thank you for your inquiry. This sounds like a really fun project. When I was in school, I did several projects in plant biology-it is fun stuff, especially when you can apply your learning to your garden!

Your question sounds like you would like to know how different fertilizer types affect the pH of the soil. You can perform this experiment simply and without using any plants, if you wish. My advice is to review the Scientific Method to learn how to conduct an experiment. https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ndex.shtml The first step is to come up with a question, just as you have already done, so that is good news.

Here is a resource that contains some information about pH of soil and water, and sounds like these are the things you are trying to find out. Check this project out and let me know what you think?
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... ml#summary

Here are alternate projects similar to the above (i.e. the project you want to do)
https://www.sciencebuddies.org/science- ... eityourown

It will be easier to test solutions (liquid) rather than soil (solids) for pH differences when using pH paper.

If you will be testing pH, you will need some pH paper (0-14) to measure how acidic or basic your solutions are. Here is where you can get it:
http://astore.amazon.com/sciencebuddie- ... B003TV3GTY

To answer your question, it won't take long to test the pH of different fertilizers (especially if they are liquids already), because the pH paper tells you the value almost instantly. In general, without knowing specifically what materials you are using, I would allow yourself at least 2 weeks to prepare, plan, and perform your project. The actual experiment, depending on how many different types of fertilizers you are testing should take a couple days.

Let me know how things go or if you need more help.

Thank you very much for your help!

No problem, Vicel. How is your project coming along?

-Sarah