Welcome back, fellow gardeners. Today we will discuss something about soil. Soil is essential to our plants so it is also crucial to us. Today’s discussion includes the nature of the soil. Whether the soil is a mixture or compound. If it is a mixture then what type of Mixture is soil- a Homogeneous or Heterogeneous. All these details are just scientific info, no need for any speculation. Keep reading for more details and ask questions if you want to learn more.
Check out my previous post- Why are flowers Brightly Colored?
Let’s start with a simple fact-
What is a Soil?
– Soil is a fine form of dithered, weathered rock and sand. Over a long duration of weathering a piece of rack gets the form of soil. The soil gets its fine texture by the impact of natural forces. Natural forces like wind, heat, and water break down rocks into fine soil particles. This phenomenon takes several years to complete. It can take 1000’s years for a rock to become soil.
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Is Soil a Mixture or Compound?
–Soil is a mixture. Simply soil has many variants with different composition of minerals. There are more than 100 types of soil combination. This is not possible with a compound. According to the definition, the composition of a compound is always fixed by mass or volume. The mixture on the other hand is not bound with the fixed ratio of combination.
That’s Why we call Soil a mixture of sand, water, minerals, and organic matter.
Also, read- How is Over Irrigation Damaging the soil?
Is soil a heterogeneous mixture?
Yes, Indeed Soil is a heterogeneous mixture. The term heterogeneous signifies that the constituent particles are not in unified proportion.
In simple words, we can say that the shape, size, and proportion of constituent particles are not uniform in a heterogeneous mixture.
Similarly, the particles of soil are not uniform in shape and size. A solubility test is a simple way to confirm this truth.
You can take some soil and try to dissolve it in a glass of water. Stir the mixture well and observe the different sizes of particles within it.
Some particles are very fine and get dissolved quickly. While others are big enough to get sedimented. The simple test shows that soil is not uniform. Hence it is a Heterogenous mixture.
How is Soil a Heterogenous Mixture?
We all know that soil is a heterogeneous mixture. The formation of the soil starts with the dithering of rocks. The rocks break into pebbles, the pebbles into the sand, and then sand turns into soil.
Soil formation is a very simple process yet it takes a very long duration to complete. Meanwhile, many other substances like dead plants and animals mix with the soil. Organic matter mix with soil along with some moisture.
All these substances combine to form the soil. The amount of organic matter and minerals determines the type of soil.
Hence we can say that the heterogeneous soil mixture is a combination of
- Sand
- Pebbles
- Water
- Minerals
- Organic Matter like dead plants and animals and
- Many gases
Sometimes soil may seem homogeneous but we can discard this tough with the following facts
- There are 100s of soil types found worldwide.
- The soil varies in color and texture.
- Some type of soil contains more organic matter than others.
- The Moisture in the soil varies from place to place.
- Soil can be fine in one place and coarse in another.
Why can’t we consider soil as a Homogenous mixture?
A homogenous mixture contains must maintain uniformity with the constituent particles. Every particle should be of uniform size and equally distributed.
Soil is a complete opposite case. The constituent particle of soil is of different shape and size. Also, the combination varies from place to place. The color of soil is also different from place to place. All these characteristics state that soil is not a homogeneous mixture.
You should also read- Can you use garden soil for indoor plants?
What do you think- Is soil a heterogeneous mixture? Write down your thoughts below in the comment section.