Soil Testing 101: Get the Dirt on Your Soil's Nutrient Levels

Are you struggling to produce the best crops in your fields, the best vegetables in your garden, or even the nicest yard in the neighborhood? Or even just curious what the nutrients were in your soil. Soil testing is a great way to find out! The test lets you know what the levels are of nutrients in your soil and then we will make recommendations to help improve your soil if needed!

While soil testing may appear costly or unnecessary to some, it is essential. You don’t want to apply too much fertilizer that will harm the soil and buying fertilizer is a lot more expensive than a soil test. A soil test quickly identifies nutrient deficiencies and issues affecting plant growth. Nutritious, high-quality soil promotes excellent crop growth or improves lawn appearance.

Here at Ashland Soil and Water we offer six different types of soil testing. All six soil tests include a complete test which tests the rates of phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, and nitrogen. The test also analyzes the pH, cation exchange capacity, and organic matter. There are three types of soil testing that we do that are targeted mainly for your turf. Then three types that are geared toward your agricultural lands. The list of soil test and prices are as follows:  

  • Ag S1: Basic Soil Test Package $10

  • Ag S2: Basic Plus Soil Test Package $15

  • Ag S3: Complete Soil Test $20

  • Turf T1: Basic Turf & Ornamental Soil Test Package $15

  • Turf T2: Basic Plus Turf & Ornamental Soil Test Package $20

  • Turf T3: Complete Tuf & Ornamental Soil Test Package $45

With our agriculture testing we then will produce a Voluntary Nutrient Management Plan to our customer. For reference we use Tri-State Fertilizer guides. We can take the results from the soil test and the goals of the farm to create a plan that they can use for the next couple of years. For garden and lawn soil testing we will recommend a fertilizer that would be helpful for which nutrients the lawn is deficient in.

Now that you know how important soil testing can be and the pricing packages. I will give you a few tips on taking your soil test. When taking a soil test you want to ensure you are getting at least six to eight inches of soil. We do have probes and collect-n-go buckets that you may borrow. Depending on how large the area you are testing you will want to take multiple samples. Then mix it in a bucket and take at least a cup of soil out of that mixture to put in a bag. You want to ensure you have all debris out like grass, sticks, plant matter, and just have it be the soil. Also try to make sure the soil isn’t too wet, this can alter the results of your test.

Now that you have all the information you need for a soil test, what are you waiting for? Ensure that this year your lawn will be better than your neighbors, your garden will be growing large delicious vegetables and fruit, and your yield goals will be soaring through the sky.

 Our office is located at 110 Cottage Street, Ashland. You can find more information on our website at www.ashlandswcd.com, call into our office at   (419)-281-7645, or just stop by and say hello! We look forward to working with you and your soil needs!

Ashland SWCD