Soil Testing Basics

While it is still a bit early to actually garden there is one thing you can do now, or at least till the snow covers the ground, to improve your garden for the summer. It won’t take you too long and it doesn’t cost too much, but a soil sample can make a world of difference in your garden this summer and into the future.

One of the biggest questions I get asked when I talk about this topic is “Why should I test my soil, the vegetables grow every year and I haven’t had any issues at all.” That can be a hard question to answer, however my response will always be, just because you don’t see an issue now, doesn’t mean you don’t have one and you may be wasting money adding fertilizers or amendments you don’t need. A soil test can quickly tell you what the pH of the soil is and what the levels of Phosphorous and Potassium are which can allow you to make decisions on what type of fertilizer if any you need to add. Too much of either of those nutrients can cause plants to grow poorly or even die. A soil sample along with some recommendations from your Extension office can help your garden be productive in the coming year.

A soil sample is easy to take. Test results will only be as reliable as the sample collected, so proper methods are important. Follow these steps:

Using a clean shovel or soil probe, dig down to a depth of:

3 inches for lawns,
6 inches for vegetables, flowers and small fruits,
10 to 12 inches for trees and shrubs.

Take at least 4 - 5 samples from the area to be tested to equal two cups. Mix samples together in a clean, plastic container. Remove all plant material or debris. If you sampled more than one area, for example a lawn and a vegetable garden, keep the samples separate from each other. The different plants (grass vs vegetables) need different nutrients and to get the best recommendations keep the two areas separate. Avoid sampling overly wet soil right after a rain or snowmelt, and soil that has been recently fertilized. Soil samples should be dry, but do not use heat to dry your sample, rather wait for a few days for the area to dry out or lay your sample out in a box or on newspaper to dry for a few days. For more information Soil Sampling see this website: https://www.butler.k-state.edu/horticulture/Soil%20Tests.html

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Have questions? Contact our office where our Horticulture Extension Agent will assist you with questions.

Phone: (316) 321-9660

Email: callae@ksu.edu