Soil Testing; Not as Simple as I Hoped!
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Date: 2022-07-16
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Comments and reviews: 9
The
So the my soil guys are pretty much the old soil savvy guys. There was a riff at soil savvy and all the guys left and created my soil.
My problem with these little kits is you have such a tiny bit of soil that is sent off that you aren't getting as accurate of a measurement of how the soil is. The results also don't include as much as it does as tests from extension offices or places like waypoint analytical or spectrum analytics. These kits are also almost twice the price.
I sent results to waypoint analytical this spring and it was as easy as it sounds like you want; I collected soil in a freezer bag, I printed the form from their site and shipped it in a usps box. I had results within a week.
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So the my soil guys are pretty much the old soil savvy guys. There was a riff at soil savvy and all the guys left and created my soil.
My problem with these little kits is you have such a tiny bit of soil that is sent off that you aren't getting as accurate of a measurement of how the soil is. The results also don't include as much as it does as tests from extension offices or places like waypoint analytical or spectrum analytics. These kits are also almost twice the price.
I sent results to waypoint analytical this spring and it was as easy as it sounds like you want; I collected soil in a freezer bag, I printed the form from their site and shipped it in a usps box. I had results within a week.
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Marianne
Thank you so much for a clear and concise explanation of the nutrients found in soil, and how Ph affects the absorption. As a Master Gardener in my county, in my experience, the number one thing backyard gardeners fail to do is have their soil tested. It's ironic, because any gardening book or website will tell you the most important thing you can do is test your soil. Everyone wants to skip this step and then they wonder why their plants do not thrive. When someone asks me what type of fertilizer to use I ask them if they had their soil tested. Usually the answer is no. How can I give advice if I have no idea what their soil needs.
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Thank you so much for a clear and concise explanation of the nutrients found in soil, and how Ph affects the absorption. As a Master Gardener in my county, in my experience, the number one thing backyard gardeners fail to do is have their soil tested. It's ironic, because any gardening book or website will tell you the most important thing you can do is test your soil. Everyone wants to skip this step and then they wonder why their plants do not thrive. When someone asks me what type of fertilizer to use I ask them if they had their soil tested. Usually the answer is no. How can I give advice if I have no idea what their soil needs.
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Kiwi
I have never heard of mixing soil samples together from wide ranging areas of your garden. Normally, you would want to know what the composition of the soil is, in different specific areas of your garden. If certain plants of mine are struggling in a specific area, then I need to know what that soil is made of in that specific area. Blending the samples destroys the ability to pinpoint a problem in a single garden bed. This would be like getting a blood panel done and having the lab blend my blood with someone else who has cancer and then getting a call to inform me that they found cancer cells in my blood.
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I have never heard of mixing soil samples together from wide ranging areas of your garden. Normally, you would want to know what the composition of the soil is, in different specific areas of your garden. If certain plants of mine are struggling in a specific area, then I need to know what that soil is made of in that specific area. Blending the samples destroys the ability to pinpoint a problem in a single garden bed. This would be like getting a blood panel done and having the lab blend my blood with someone else who has cancer and then getting a call to inform me that they found cancer cells in my blood.
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Cheryl
I wonder how different that new garden would result between the plain dirt and the part that was growing things beautifully. The good thing is that areas with the established gardens did fare better than the new garden. I am thinking I want to do one now but I am more on the acidic side in Maryland but I feel like my garden is decent and is a sandy soil being about 30 miles from the ocean. My hydrangea produces blue flowers so am curious more so on the other elements. I would like to know the difference too between my yard/ perennial garden and my raised beds from my garden.
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I wonder how different that new garden would result between the plain dirt and the part that was growing things beautifully. The good thing is that areas with the established gardens did fare better than the new garden. I am thinking I want to do one now but I am more on the acidic side in Maryland but I feel like my garden is decent and is a sandy soil being about 30 miles from the ocean. My hydrangea produces blue flowers so am curious more so on the other elements. I would like to know the difference too between my yard/ perennial garden and my raised beds from my garden.
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Donna
Laura, so appreciated this video. We had our soil tested and the report came back stating we had zero calcium in our soil and recommended adding gypsum. Well, we made the mistake of getting the powdered type of gypsum, which just clumped and made a hard mat when it became wet. I think I am going to get another test done from our extension office, as I have never believed that our soil is completely devoid of calcium. I bought some espoma soil acidifier for my struggling hydrangeas, after seeing your video. I don't care what color they bloom, I just want to see some growth.
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Laura, so appreciated this video. We had our soil tested and the report came back stating we had zero calcium in our soil and recommended adding gypsum. Well, we made the mistake of getting the powdered type of gypsum, which just clumped and made a hard mat when it became wet. I think I am going to get another test done from our extension office, as I have never believed that our soil is completely devoid of calcium. I bought some espoma soil acidifier for my struggling hydrangeas, after seeing your video. I don't care what color they bloom, I just want to see some growth.
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digiphot2
Sounds a bit like Obsessive Compulsive and Over Kill! Why not just sprinkle Lilly Miller Super Sweet slow release lime? Then sprinkle a little water on the lawn and watch for the end results and enjoy how the lilly MIller feeds and nutrilizes the soil! Wish me luck. I just might buy the Luster leaf Rapitest pH soil tester. If the grass dies. Just replant more seed! End of Arguement, and besides that. Nobody ever died from 6. 5 pH soil under foot! Grass is just that. Grass! Rossa-Ruck!
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Sounds a bit like Obsessive Compulsive and Over Kill! Why not just sprinkle Lilly Miller Super Sweet slow release lime? Then sprinkle a little water on the lawn and watch for the end results and enjoy how the lilly MIller feeds and nutrilizes the soil! Wish me luck. I just might buy the Luster leaf Rapitest pH soil tester. If the grass dies. Just replant more seed! End of Arguement, and besides that. Nobody ever died from 6. 5 pH soil under foot! Grass is just that. Grass! Rossa-Ruck!
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Brianna
I run soil, water, fertilizers, and plant samples at the lab I work at. Its best to find the amount of nitrogen in the leaves of plants. We ask our clients to send in their soil sample in dry. This allows for us to use the appropriate extraction method. Our company gets our results tested with other labs to make sure all of us get similar results. In order to join this program and be certified, there is an additional cost added to the testing though.
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I run soil, water, fertilizers, and plant samples at the lab I work at. Its best to find the amount of nitrogen in the leaves of plants. We ask our clients to send in their soil sample in dry. This allows for us to use the appropriate extraction method. Our company gets our results tested with other labs to make sure all of us get similar results. In order to join this program and be certified, there is an additional cost added to the testing though.
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Judy
I help out at the University of Missouri Extention. They have very good instructions on how to take soil sample and they use a box that takes quite a bit more soil. They send it off Fridays and you have results in a week. They have the experts there that can go over the results with you and theyre very good people to know and help with problems. Cost $18. Arkansas Extention doesnt cost anything.
I would trust either results.
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I help out at the University of Missouri Extention. They have very good instructions on how to take soil sample and they use a box that takes quite a bit more soil. They send it off Fridays and you have results in a week. They have the experts there that can go over the results with you and theyre very good people to know and help with problems. Cost $18. Arkansas Extention doesnt cost anything.
I would trust either results.
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Jessica
Please use your local extension office for soil tests. Some have pretty specific instructions on their web site. Pay attention to details and the assistance of a master gardener may not even be necessary. Additionally, some reports have whats called a CEC Caton Exchange Capacity which indicates the rate of nutrient uptake for the plant(s. For me, that information is just as important as organic material, ph, etc.
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Please use your local extension office for soil tests. Some have pretty specific instructions on their web site. Pay attention to details and the assistance of a master gardener may not even be necessary. Additionally, some reports have whats called a CEC Caton Exchange Capacity which indicates the rate of nutrient uptake for the plant(s. For me, that information is just as important as organic material, ph, etc.
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