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2. Soil Fundamentals
Weight of dry soil sample
1.
Find your location and trim the vegetation to expose the soil surface.
2.
Place the pipe on the ground. Place the wood on top of the pipe. Use the mini sledge
hammer to pound the pipe into the soil until it is flush with the soil surface or even a bit
below. You want the pipe to be completely full of soil.
3.
Dig out the pipe using the shovel or towel. Be careful not to disturb the soil in the pipe. Dig
under the pipe and take out some of the soil beneath it.
4.
Trim the top and bottom of the soil sample such that it is flush with the top and bottom of
the pipe.
5.
Push the sample out into a plastic bag. Make sure that you get all of the sample into the
plastic bag.
6.
Leave the plastic bag open and put it in a safe place to dry.
7.
Once the soil is dry, weigh the sample.
Weight of soil
sample in grams
Volume of pipe
in centimeters
3
=
÷
Bulk density
Weight of soil
sample in grams
=
__________ g
÷
=
________ g/cm
3
__________ g
__________ cm
3
Calculate bulk density
Calculations
You will want to measure the weight of your sample in grams.
If your scale does not measure grams you can convert ounces to grams by multiplying by 28.35.