Soil: A Perfect Recipe | Botany Basics

Soil is the ground where most plants grow. It is made up of a mixture of tiny pieces of rock, water, air, living things, and bits of rotting plants and animals. Let’s take a closer look at what makes good soil.

Back to Digital Classroom Resources

View Transcript

Additional Resources

Questions and Prompts for Educators

Check for Understanding

What ingredients is soil made of?
What is one sign of healthy soil?

Take It Further

Why might the size of the rocks in soil affect how well the soil drains? Describe how soil made of powdery clay might differ from soil with grittier rocks.

Create

Make your own soil cake. Combine crushed Oreos, gummy worms, and cookie chunks in a transparent cup. Unlike regular soil, this cake is edible!
Create and test a variety of different soil mixes. Use different sizes and amounts of rocks. Mix in soil and compost in different ratios. Plant seeds in each soil mix and add the same amount of water. Which soil was the most successful? Why do you think that is?

Make a Personal Connection

Investigate the soil at your school. Does it contain all the ingredients for healthy soil? If not, what could you add to it to make it a good place for plants to grow?

Next Generation Science Standards: Disciplinary Core Ideas

LS2.A: INTERDEPENDENT RELATIONSHIPS IN ECOSYSTEMS
How do organisms interact with the living and nonliving environments to obtain matter and energy?
LS2.B: CYCLES OF MATTER AND ENERGY TRANSFER IN ECOSYSTEMS
How do matter and energy move through an ecosystem?

Table of contents heading: Additional Resources