Salinity of soils and plant substrates

Principle

Demonstration experiment using wireless data communication to send readings to a large-size display. How suitable are certain soils and plant substrates in terms of plant nutrition? This experiment is concerned with the measurement of conductivity, which gives an indication of which of the studied soils and plant substrates already contain nutrient salts necessary for the growth of plants and which ones would be better if nutrients were added in the form of fertiliser. Plants gain their nutrition in the form of salt ions from the soil. The most important of the 16 nutrients which plants need to grow are nitrogen in the form of nitrates and ammonia, phosphorus in the form of phosphates and potassium in the form of potassium salts. In addition, soils need to have lime (calcium carbonate) to reduce their acidity (reduction in pH). For agricultural purposes, such nutrients are added to the soil in the form of inorganic fertilisers. For house plants, fertiliser-enriched potting soil is used. 

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