Trouble Shooting

 - There are different options for a soil test kit.  We used the LaMotte Combination kit Model STH-14

http://www.lamotte.com/environmental_education_monitoring.html

- Make sure all dependent variables are tested on all samples. For example, samples plotted for moisture should still be diluted and tested for bacteria.

  - The boats used for weighing the soil must be included in the total weight because it would be impossible to remove all of the soil from the boats after they had been in the oven.

 - Always remeber to wash out the soil core extractor after every soil sample that you take. If the soil core extractor is not rinsed out throughly it may cause contamination to the soil samples.

 - Don't forget to covert the temperature of the oven from degrees celsius into degrees fahrenheit (if needed).

 -  Always remeber to get a new pipet for each soil sample (Total of 10).

- 3M Petrifilm- Aerobic Count Plates are suggested to use.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/3M/en_US/WW3/Country/?WT.mc_id=www.3M.com/us

 -Be sure to wear safety goggles and gloves when working with chemicals.

 -Use protective heat gear when using the oven

Procedures for After Handling Chemicals or Serial Dilutions

 - Anything that comes into contact with bacteria dilutions must be placed in sterile bleach liquid

 - Be sure to alcohol the surface after doing any chemical testing or any serial dilutions