Originally Posted by Heartbreaker

Things were running smoothly, so smoothly in fact, that she felt as though any intervention on her part would only serve as a distraction. So she wouldn't distract them, nope.

Once she was certain that everyone had their jars and had enlarged them, she returned to her position at the head of the table, ready to carry on.
"Great! So now that our vessels are at size that we can work with, we need to establish its foundation." And this is where things would get tricky. "Soils... vary just biomes vary, so it's important to consider which biome you have selected to create and which soil type will meet its needs."

"There are five primary types of soil. These are ... sandy, silty, clay, peaty and loam," she announced, in a clear and projected voice. "Sandy soils drain rapidly, so this suits drought resistant plants and plants which do not require copious amounts of nutrients..."

"Silty soil retains moisture, drains poorly and is cold and compact... or poorly aerated."

"Clay also retains moisture and is composed of smaller particles. It's sticky when wet, but smooth when dry. It's rich in nutrients and is cold when wet but warm when dry... also becomes hard and compact when dry."

"Peaty soil is high in organic matter which makes it very nutritious. Though it's not very good when heavily saturated, once drained it's a fantastic growing medium... though when dry it can become a fire hazard. Peaty soils have the ability to hold water in dryer months, thus protecting the roots."

"Loam soil... is a herbologists best friend. When unsure, loam is a suitable option as it's a balance of silt, sand and clay. It's dark in colour and is soft, dry and crumbly to the touch. It retains water and plant food but it drains well, and air moves freely between soil particles down to the roots."
It was the King of soils... in her opinion. Great for novice herbologists who had no idea what they were doing.

"Based on those characteristics, your first task is to identify which soil will best suit your biome. Once you have decided, come up here, grab a bucket and collect your soil." She indicated to the back wall just metres behind her where five piles of soil sat, labelled, with a tower of red buckets beside them.

"If you're unsure, raise your hand, and I'll assist you."

A part of her wondered if any of the students did research into their biome of choice, having had to select one to collect seed, bulb or spore material.

OOC: The lesson will move on in approximately 11 hours.