The original experiment that we were set to do, before Jon had his ideas about clay – was a Soil Texture Experiment.  What type of loam did we have in the yard? Sandy? Clay? Would it be good for growing?  What pH levels were in our soil?

We started the experiment thinking we had a clay loam, since the soil was so hard and could form an easy ball in our hands and left sticky mud clinging to our hands.

Nate and Jon took some dirt in the one foot culverts created by the back hoe – we had to go quickly as they were coming back to fill in with gravel. I would recommend a Gallon Jar with at least 2 or more inches of soil.

Here are our soil samples at the end of the day- 5 to 6 hours later.  We only seem to have 2 types of soil. I am a bit confused at what we are actually looking at. A small line of creamy color is settling on top.

Here are the jars in the morning. The water is as clear as it seemed to be going to get. There is a definite layer of creamy color on the tops now. I thought there would be three distinct layers. Sand. Silt. Clay.

The boys and I are still a bit confused, as when we did the micro pore experiment, the clay settled to the bottom, and we think that the creamy layer is clay, but it has settled on top.

So we call in the Expert Ms. JoDana – our now infamous “neighbor”.  She explains to us that in the jar, the particles are settling by weight.  Sand, Silt and then Clay on the top.  She explains to us, that rather than having a lot of clay in the yard, it is more likely to be compacted sand, since we took it out of the driveway.  We measure the jars and take cm measurements.

The layers turned into being 50% Sand, 33% silt and only 17% Clay.  Jon’s jar turned out to be 50/33/11. We looked on the soil type chart and saw that we clearly have Sandy Loam

So we went back to the “dirt bowl” and broke up the “clay” and found that after it had dried, it easily crumbled into sand, and left a residue of soft dirt on our hands, or Clay on our hands.

We checked our pH level, the Sand pH level, and the Tomato from lunch. Jon remembered today at lunch what the level of a tomato is.

We took a little field trip walk over to Ms. JoDana’s house to see these layers of compacted sand that had stripped by erosion from this week’s flood.

After seeing this – Jon finally saw the “layers” that we had talked about with the marbles, tennis balls and paper punches. He saw how the sandstone had been laid down, but then compacted into tight layers.

Not only explaining in detail – Soil Composition – Clay – Layers – but our study perked my attention for their future. They will always know how to quickly test the soil in the yard before throwing out seed. They will be able to articulate what they need to add to the soil to change the pH level. They will know what they need to add to the soil in order for the plants to have the right amount of water, not too much, not too little, but just right.

I am dreaming of canning green beans with strips of bacon and onion with my grandbabies, should the Lord tarry. . . . .

Our next step – is to adequately answer – How does the water level stay up in Devils Lake and sustain life. Both boys have given me a verbal answer – that I know to be true, but don’t you think we should drive around the lake taking photos of all the inlets and outlets anyway?

If you have any soil questions feel free to ask, I’ll just run down to Ms. JoDana’s and ask her. Ha!

(Sciences, Earth Sciences, Geology, Soils, Soil Composition – Math, Percent’s, Fractions, Decimal Division, Measuring, Dictionary work, Computer Research, Field Research, Theory, Predictions, Analysis – From playing in the mud) Did I mention I love my life?