Troubleshooting
Ever get that feeling something's not going right? These tips may help you out:
Soil Extractions
- When the directions say to place the filter paper in the funnel, first fold it into quarters with crisp edges. First fold it in half and make sure that the edges line up perfectly. Then, fold it in half again, still checking to make sure all the edges match up. If the edges do not line up and you pour the soil and chemical mixture, it will not filter correctly and you will end up with a muddy looking solution rather than a clear one. If you end up with a muddy-looking solution, start over because you haven't filtered it properly.
Chemical Testing
- Make sure that you begin serial dilutions and chemical testing at the same time for each soil sample. Otherwise, results may not reflect the true makeup of the soil, since over time, organisms in the soil sample will affect the levels of chemicals in the soil.
- Never, ever wet the little .5 and .05 gram spoons in the LaMotte Test Kit- they are NOT meant to be washed and it WILL ruin the spoons.
- A problem we discovered when doing the Al test was that sometimes a color turns out that doesn't look like any of the comparative colors on the Result Card- this is because the test solution may not have equal amounts of the chemicals spread within it and therefore turns the colors gray. If your test turns out to become a dark or medium gray, you can assume that it would be either a high or very high reading on a normal basis.
- NEVER pack any soil into measures- it will get stuck and then you will have a mess on your hands after you finally are able to get the soil that was packed in out.
- Also, if you pack the soil too much, you can't get it out at all.
- Remember to wash equipment that will be re-used (such as funnels, tubes, and soil measures) in between soil samples.
Serial Dilutions
- Make sure you change the serological pipettes between soil samples to avoid contamination.
- Also change whatever you are using to plate the samples when doing these dilutions.
Outside
- A sudden rainstorm can also change the way your site looks, as in our case: a tree fell that was located on a steep hill onto a power line and ended up changing the streambed's pattern. Document any changes.
- Careful when climbing, especially after a heavy rain- the ground becomes very slippery.
- If you are scared of spiders, hold a stick in front of you when walking into the woods so you don't walk into spider webs.
What to Wear
- Long clothes into the woods, especially long pants, in case you run into an unpleasant plant.
- Mosquito repellent or bug spray and sunscreen when going into the woods.
- High boots that fit well and are waterproof when going into the woods, especially if your site has a lot of mud or a stream.
- Closed-toed shoes, goggles, and gloves in the lab.
Other
- Never work by yourself, especially when outside or doing chemical tests.
- If you happen to get a really itchy spot on an arm or leg, don't scratch it, rather use calamine lotion- it helps to get rid of the uncontrollable itch.
- It takes a long time to get the graphs completely correct- make sure you leave enough time to make them- DON'T procrastinate.
- Make sure to label things (such as plastic bags and test tubes) ahead of time. It will save you a lot of trouble: you won't have to label things during tests or soil sample collection or worse, have to do tests or sample-taking over again because you can't figure out which one is which.
If you have any further questions, feel free to contact us via the contact page.
