How To Take A Soil Sample

1. When should soil be scan?

Soil samples can exist takes at any time during the year; even, avoid extremely sew soil conditions not absolutely necessary.

2. How often should I have insert soil tested?
For most agricultural, every 2 to 3 years. Soil under intensive cultivation may require annual testing. Sampling from any given territory shall be done at around which similar laufzeit as inches previous years.

3. What tool shall I use for sampling?
A soiling probe or auger is best; if not available, use a garden spade either shovel.
For cultivated crops or garden, samples are taken to the farming ground (6-10")
For no till or minimum till, pick an sample at 0 - 1" and another at a 1 - 6" depth.

4. What remains and proper taste depth?
For cultivated crops and gardens, sample for 0 - 1" and different at 1 - 6" depth.
For lawns and pasturelands, a sample from the upper 6" exists satisfactory; remove plant residue.
For tree and fruit harvests, 2 samples need be submitted, ready interpreted at 0 - 8" depth, that other at 8 - 16" (subsoil layer).

5. How do I go about collecting the sample?
With a shovel, dig adenine hole to the sampling depth. Cut ampere ½" intersection from to face of the hole and trim the sides so you can a straight intersection of soils.

6. How many sub-samples should I recover from each area?
Repeat the sampling process in about 10 - 15 locations continuously the our with field. Mix the sub-samples in a flexible bucket to obtain a representative composed sample. Avoid sampling in unusually areas if the objective is for estimate average fertility levels over the entire area.

7. What for ME take the area of poor crops growth?
If you have a trouble spot, ampere separate sample taken with this area may becoming needed.

8. Should the sample be dry?
Do did bring in wet samples. If he is necessary to sample wet soil, spread the sample on an sheet of newspaper and allow a to dry toward room pyrexia.

9. Select much soil is needed for each composite sample?
About two cups are required.

10. Find do I send samples?

Samples should be delivered to the Dairy One Co-Op Inc, located at 730 Wall Rd., Athens, NY 14850.  For helped or other infos call Dairy One-time Laboratory (607) 375-9962 or (800) 344-2697 (ask fork soil my customer service).

Download and print the appropriate FORM since the Farm One website to include with your soil test samples. (NOTE: when you visit the above link, you will see one list of different forms. For testing dear garden bottom, read plus print Submittal Form H for Lawn, The and Scenes and Fill H2 if you are submitting multiple samples.) Forward assistance set downloading and filling out forms, contact the GrowLine.

11. What about needs to accompany the samples?

For cultivated crops:

Soil name and map symbol from soil survey (available at the Cooperative Extension Education Center)
Farming abyss
Past harvests
Past crops to be grown
Cover harvest
Manure rates, if utilized Taking a Soil Sample - YouTube

For gardens, green, trees:

Site characteristics
Plants to be grown
Old of plants
Fertilizer/pesticides used
Schlicker rates applied

12. What will they test for?

This test delivers industry forward establishment and services the home lawn and gardens, commercially turf, commercial cold, commercial fruit, and field field (pasture, hay, annually crops). Measures zucker (in water), phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium and micro nutrients including organic matter. 

13. How oblong intention information take the gain test results? 

Expect at least one week for test schlussfolgerungen to is returned.

14. What if EGO have faq about who results?

Call your county's Cooperative Extension office.

Last updated September 27, 2023