Soil Test Samples—How To
Sample Your Soils Accurately
A soil test is your guide to a healthy lawn and garden. Without one, you can waste money applying the wrong organic fertilizers and soil amendments.
Even worse, you could damage your plants by adding something to the soil that shouldn't be there, or in too high a quantity.
There are basic home soil tests that you can purchase and perform.
However, if you want an accurate assessment of everything in your soil, you'll need to take soil samples and send them away for a soil test.
If you intend to send your sample to the land grant university in your state, contact the local Cooperative Extension Service for information and sample bags.
If you intend to send your sample to a private testing lab, contact them for specific details about submitting a sample.
Follow these directions carefully for submitting a soil sample.
For each acre of land to be tested, take 10 to 15 sub-samples.
Areas that appear different or that have been used differently should be sampled separately. For example, a separate sample should be submitted for an area that has been in a garden and one that has been lawn.
How To Sample Your Soil
- Sample when the soil is moist but not wet.
- Obtain a clean pail or similar container.
- Clear away the surface litter or grass.
- With a spade or soil auger, dig a small amount of soil to a depth of 6 inches.
- Place the soil in the clean pail.
- Repeat steps 3 to 5 until the required number of samples have been collected.
- Mix the samples together thoroughly.
- From the mixture, take the sample that will be sent for analysis.
- Send immediately. Do not dry before sending.
Click here for a list of soil testing labs.
If you use a home soil testing kit, also follow the above steps for taking your sample. Follow the directions in the test kit carefully.
Parts of this article come courtesy of the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service.
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