Direct Connection to Soil and How Soil Makes This Project Work

Our project is as directly related to soil as one can get. We took samples of soil in three different areas in order to experimentally determine their properties. Thus, our project is directly connected to the soil.

Since we were directly concerned with the soil, "how the soil makes this project work" is kind of self definitive. Soil made our project work because it exists and has inherent properties such as different amounts of soil particles, different minerals, different hydrology, and many, many, other properties. That's what this whole class is about, understanding differences in soil and what they mean. By examining three different types of soil (none distanced too far from one another) we can clearly see these properties we learned about in class and their differences in the three samples. So, in this way, soil and its existent properties are how soil makes this project work.

Broader Impact

The broader impact of the project we helped with is mostly based around research and education. The soil samples we collected can be used in labs throughout OSU. The collections can be used to teach students about bulk density and calculating bulk density using only dried soil. These collections can show students how different areas have different soils, even within miles of each other, which will hopefully encourage them to get the soil mapping app in order to always know the soil series beneath them. The soil samples we collected can be used in many labs to display and teach students about texturing and the subtle yet definitive differences between soils. If students research further they can find out what the different vital properties of each soil is and eventually understand how to purchase land better in the future based on their soil knowledge.

What we learned!

From this project we learned a great deal about the differences between Chehalis, Woodburn, and Bashaw soil. We learned that Chehalis is much sandier than the other soils yet capable of growing melons and pumpkins. We learned that the Organic Soils Club meets Sunday morning. We learned that Bashaw is the most clay like soil, which is sensible considering we collected it near a creek, and we learned that Woodburn is more silty and lies within the other two soil's sand and clay ranges. We learned how soil is meant to be collected using soil coring tubes, a mallet, and wrapping it neatly in order to preserve all the data within the volume it was collected in. We also learned that this is how soil samples are collected for the lab when we learn about soil density. Later our TA dried the samples that we collected. This dried soil could be used in soil research and bulk density calculations. At the end of this lab we were taught texturing, we all successfully produced a ribbon of soil using our thumb. We learned how to feel for the grittiness more prevalent in Chehalis than the others, by putting small amounts of soil in our palm and using water and our finger to feel the texture.

Soil Management and this Project

It is possible for soil management changes to make an impact on this project. However, the first site we visited is already managed well as it is the organic farm run by soil students and our professor James Cassidy. The management of this soil area is well thought out and has been managed prudently for 14 years.
The second site that we visited could be improved, we chose a soil pit off the road near the covered bridge. This particular soil pit and the land nearest to it did not seem too disturbed. It would be possible to manage another organic farm in this area given the right resources. Following a change like that the soil management could improve this project in that area. The third spot we collected soil was at the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture. We collected soil from a mostly undisturbed area near a creek. If at all possible, management of the soil around this area could potentially improve the soil collection. It was rather rocky down by the creak, we had to take several samples before we collected one without any rocks disrupting the data.

Photographs

Arriving at the first site, the OSU Organic Farm

At the soil pit

Putting in the soil corer

Attempting to pull apart the soil coring tube

Wrapping up the soil sample

The members of the Organic Growers Club were nice enough to share some of their apple cobbler and other goodies with us

At the second site, just to the west of the covered bridge on Campus Way

Collecting the sample

Scraping clean the soil sample

Soil collected from site 2

Collecting soil from site 3, the Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture

The was an earthworm in our soil sample!

Wrapping the last sample

Soil Evaluations

Soil Series	Color (Munsell)	Texture (%sand/silt/clay)	Structure	OM% avg. (0-10 in)	Typical pH
Chehalis	10 YR 3/2	7/60/33	subangular blocky	7.5	5.6 – 6.5
Woodburn	10 YR 2/2	5/72/23	subangular blocky	3.5	5.1 – 6.5
Bashaw	10 YR 3/1	7/37/56	subangular blocky	5.5	5.1 – 6.0

Soil Series	KSat (mm/hr)	Drainage	CEC @pH 7 (cmol/kg)	Bulk Density (moist) (g/cm3)	Available Water Capacity (in/in)	Compaction Susceptibility
Chehalis	32.4	good	20 - 40	1.10 – 1.30	0.19 - 0.21	medium
Woodburn	32.0	moderate	15 - 25	1.25 – 1.45	0.18 – 0.24	medium
Bashaw	0.7	poor	40 - 65	1.10 – 1.30	0.15 – 0.21	high

Soil Series Descriptions

Official Soil Series Descriptions

We sampled the Woodburn soil series at the SW Campus Way (Covered Bridge) soil pit. Woodburn series soils are classified as fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Aquultic Argixerolls. See the link below for a full description.

https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/W/WOODBURN.html


The Oak Creek Center for Urban Horticulture was the site of the Bashaw soil series we collected. Bashaw soils are classified as a very-fine, smectitic, mesic Xeric Endoaquerts. See the link below for a full description.

https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/B/BASHAW.html


At the OSU organic farm site we sampled the Chehalis soil series. Chehalis soils are considered fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Cumulic Ultic Haploxerolls. See the link below for a full description.

https://soilseries.sc.egov.usda.gov/OSD_Docs/C/CHEHALIS.html


Source:

"Official Soil Series Descriptions." Natural Resource Conservation Service. USDA.Web. http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/detail/soils/survey/class/?cid=nrcs142p2_053587