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kilojay619
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- Joined: Thu Jun 16, 2016 6:53 pm
Professional soil test
Hi I currently have been using silkworm compost for my garden and I believe there is a added benefit and when I mentioned it to a friend he suggested I have to soil tested at a university or laboratory to get some confirmed numbers. I was wondering if any members had any experience with laboratory professional soil testing? Thanks
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Lonesomedave
- Senior Member
- Posts: 117
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2014 10:21 pm
- Location: NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE- zone 6B - 7A on USDA plant hardiness map
well....I'm thinking about it for next year, but I do have limited experience
years ago when I was young, I helped my aunt prepare and send in a soil sample to the Ellington Agricultural Center, here in nashville
as I remember, they did it and made some suggestions to her, which she followed, and had her usual great garden
have no experience with any private testing firm
/dave/
years ago when I was young, I helped my aunt prepare and send in a soil sample to the Ellington Agricultural Center, here in nashville
as I remember, they did it and made some suggestions to her, which she followed, and had her usual great garden
have no experience with any private testing firm
/dave/
My suggestion would be to take a little soil from several areas of your garden and send the sample in to your local county agricultural facility for testing. They will let you know just where your soil stands and what, if anything, is needed to bring it in line with what is considered a good soil environment for your plants.
Don't rely on those kits you see in big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes since their results can vary from test to test from what I've heard. It really is reasonably priced for a professional soil test and well worth the effort.
Don't rely on those kits you see in big box stores like Home Depot or Lowes since their results can vary from test to test from what I've heard. It really is reasonably priced for a professional soil test and well worth the effort.
Most states have a land grand college and an agricultural extension program that offers low cost soil test. Soil tests from professional soil labs can be much more costly. I agree the box store tests are not that accurate and you have to be careful because unless you are using distilled water, you may actually be testing your water and not your soil.
If you have access to Master gardeners in your area, they can usually tell you where to get your soil tested.
I just had my soil tested again. I sampled the area in a zig zag pattern roughtly every two feet. It helps to have a soil corer, or aerator since it is easier to get a vertilcal plug. If not you can use a shovel to dig the holes. You want to clear off the loose soil on top You want to try to get a vertical scraping of the root zone. Put all the samples in a bucket and mix it up. Place 2cups of the sample in a clean zip bag and label it with your name phone number and location. If you are sending multiple samples you need to give it an identifier so you know where it came from. There will be a form to fill out and depending on what tests you get the cost will vary. pH and major nutrients with recommendations cost me $12.00 additional tests cost more. Tissue sampling is included in mine if I send a tissue sample. My test does not report nitrogen since it is a volatile element. They will test a plant leaf for adeqate nitrogen.
Usually your local extention will have a publication on how to collect a soil sample and where to send it.
If you have access to Master gardeners in your area, they can usually tell you where to get your soil tested.
I just had my soil tested again. I sampled the area in a zig zag pattern roughtly every two feet. It helps to have a soil corer, or aerator since it is easier to get a vertilcal plug. If not you can use a shovel to dig the holes. You want to clear off the loose soil on top You want to try to get a vertical scraping of the root zone. Put all the samples in a bucket and mix it up. Place 2cups of the sample in a clean zip bag and label it with your name phone number and location. If you are sending multiple samples you need to give it an identifier so you know where it came from. There will be a form to fill out and depending on what tests you get the cost will vary. pH and major nutrients with recommendations cost me $12.00 additional tests cost more. Tissue sampling is included in mine if I send a tissue sample. My test does not report nitrogen since it is a volatile element. They will test a plant leaf for adeqate nitrogen.
Usually your local extention will have a publication on how to collect a soil sample and where to send it.
James your fertilizer must be cheap. A bag of fertilizer here costs more than the test. I actually have saved money because I found out I only needed to add nitrogen and not much else besdes compost. I also added less than before. Nitrogen is one of the cheaper fertilizers I could buy and it still costs more than the soil test at $18 for 20 lbs. After I got the soil test, I cut the nitrogen I used in half. I have been using the same bag for a couple of years. The nitrogen is becoming a rock in the bag.