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What's Your pH?

In this lesson students will measure the pH of a soil sample and learn how pH affects the availability of nutrient uptake by plants. Students will determine if and how their soil pH should be modified through the application of soil amendments.

Grades
9 – 12
Estimated Time
60 minutes
Updated
January 31, 2024

Background

Lesson Activities

Credits

Author

Mandi Bottoms and Shaney Emerson | California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom

Sources

This lesson was funded in 2011 by the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s (CDFA) Fertilizer Research and Education Program (FREP). Chemistry, Fertilizer, and the Environment was designed to reinforce chemistry and environmental science concepts while educating students about the relationships between food, plant nutrients, farmers and the environment.

  • Executive Director: Judy Culbertson
  • Illustrator: Erik Davison
  • Layout and Design: Nina Danner

Standards

National Content Area Standards

  • Career & Technical Education
    • AFNR (Grades 9-12): Plant Science Systems Career Pathway
      • PS.01.02: Prepare and manage growing media for use in plant systems.
      • PS.01.03: Develop and implement a fertilization plan for specific plants or crops.
  • Science
    • HS-ESS2: Earth's Systems
      • HS-ESS2-1: Develop a model to illustrate how Earth’s internal and surface processes operate at different spatial and temporal scales to form continental and ocean-floor features.
    • HS-ETS1: Engineering Design
      • HS-ETS1-2: Design a solution to a complex real-world problem by breaking it down into smaller, more manageable problems that can be solved through engineering.
      • HS-ETS1-3: Evaluate a solution to a complex real-world problem based on prioritized criteria and tradeoffs that account for a range of constraints, including cost, safety, reliability, and aesthetics, as well as possible social, cultural, and environmental impacts.