Gazinga
Chillin' In The Garden
I keep reading about what teh PH balance of my soild needs to be, the acid levels, etc etc........how do i tell what teh levels are? can i test it myself?
How?
How?
test my own soil?
- Thread starter Gazinga
- Start date
patandchickens
Deeply Rooted
If you don't care much about really accurate or really detailed information, the kits you buy at garden centers etc are ok for giving you some sort of picture. Otherwise you send a sample off to a lab, generally for a $20-ish fee (although I *think* some states still do free testing, maybe???)
If you only want to do it once and can live with inaccuracy, I'd say use a kit (marginally cheaper). If you want to do it over and over, as time goes by, but can live with inaccuracy, I'd say use a kit (much cheaper than repeated lab tests). If you care about accuracy and/or want a full nutrient profile (kits usually just do N and P), you need to send samples off to a lab. Make sure the samples are taken according to the lab's directions.
If you use a kit, you will have to interpret the results yourself, using the kit brochure and reading in books. If you send sample to a lab, they will generally provide a report that explains what nutrients you might wanna add more of, and how much.
Personally I'd suggest using a kit unless you are a science geek at heart and/or want to grow things with very particular and off-the-wall requirements, or are having serious troubles growing easy things.
Have fun,
Pat
If you only want to do it once and can live with inaccuracy, I'd say use a kit (marginally cheaper). If you want to do it over and over, as time goes by, but can live with inaccuracy, I'd say use a kit (much cheaper than repeated lab tests). If you care about accuracy and/or want a full nutrient profile (kits usually just do N and P), you need to send samples off to a lab. Make sure the samples are taken according to the lab's directions.
If you use a kit, you will have to interpret the results yourself, using the kit brochure and reading in books. If you send sample to a lab, they will generally provide a report that explains what nutrients you might wanna add more of, and how much.
Personally I'd suggest using a kit unless you are a science geek at heart and/or want to grow things with very particular and off-the-wall requirements, or are having serious troubles growing easy things.
Have fun,
Pat
Lettuce Lady
Leafing Out
Does anyone know how well the electric pH meters work? I'd rather use a meter than test strips but not sure if the meters are accurate.
Lettuce Lady
Leafing Out
Just found out that UMass does soil testing for much less than my local labs. $9 for PH, nutrients and heavy metals.
http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/soilbrochdec2003.pdf
http://www.umass.edu/plsoils/soiltest/soilbrochdec2003.pdf
Lettuce Lady
Leafing Out
Sent the soil to UMass and received the results in less than two weeks.Lettuce Lady said:
The report is very through and they include recommendations on how to improve the soil. Great resource.
I did mine last year before I closed on the place and it ran me $12.50 through the extension service through OK State University. I asked for the detailed reading, but they didn't do that so I'm going to try again tomorrow, now that I actually own the place and have a garden spot working.
