Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange
Gardening and Landscaping Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [soil-test]

Tests for various soil characteristics including nutritional and contaminant content.

Soils can be tested for a wide range of characteristics. These can be used to help diagnose problems (eg. due to a mineral deficiency), guarantee safe crops (eg. no heavy metal contaminants in the soil), or provide pointers as to the best kind of plants to grow (eg. according to acidity).

Many soil test kits are available from nurseries and big box garden stores. Specialist tests and services are also available.

Some of the tests that might be considered:

  • Major nutrients (NPK) - fix with fertilizer
  • Minor and secondary nutrients (Ca,Mg, Fe, Cu, etc)
  • Acidity (pH) - different plants prefer different acidities
  • Contamination (from air, ground water, industry, gas stations, dry cleaning, etc)
  • General composition (humus,sand,mud,clay)

Use this tag for all questions about soil tests and testing.

51 questions
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Is testing the pH of soil with cabbage juice accurate?

I was looking into testing the soil in my yard so I knew how much I needed to prepare it for blueberry plants. I came across a method I hadn't heard of before, that I thought was interesting. It involved boiling cabbage leaves in distilled water,…
The Flash
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Should I do a soil test before or after amending soil?

I want to plant blackberries, raspberries, and a vegetable garden in the heavy clay soil in my backyard. So, I plan to heavily amend it by spreading 3" expanded shale and 6" of compost and working that 12" or more down by double digging. Since I…
Philip
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Testing Soil with rapid-test by luster leaf

For Christmas I got one of those small kits that test the soil using a chemical enclosed in capsules. The one I got does Ph, nitrogen, phosphorus, and potash. And today I gave it a spin, and this is my results. Ph - 7.25 N - 0 P - 0 K* - low These…
Ljk2000
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How to remedy lead in soil?

I live near an oil refinery (probably about 1 mile away). I have a small back yard with sparse grass. I have some planter beds with bushes. I have a lawn in the front. I'm concerned that I may have lead in my soil. I have two kids below the age of…
milesmeow
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What is an accurate method to measure the C:N ratio of Bokashi pickled/composted kitchen waste?

In a container gardening situation without soil to bury Bokashi pickled/composted kitchen waste, it seems viable to add to a tumble composter. What is an accurate method to compute C:N of Bokashi? Assume for this question that the Bokashi method is…
Samuel Russell
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Portable soil and compost testing kit

I am growing vegetables. I need soil and compost testing kits for soil Ph, soil EC and compost nutrients test. Can anyone suggest which instruments will be good and have a reasonable price?
Alchemistbd
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Soil test results + need help understanding the recommendation

I have gone through couple of similar questions in this forum but did not quite understand on how to interpret and calculate the required amount of fertilizer and type of fertilizer to choose from. So, here is the screenshot of the fertilizer…
Uresh K
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How to grow a grafted avocado in bad soil?

I live in St.Croix and want to plant into the ground a grafted avocado tree that is 2'ft (60 cm) high. I live close to the ocean. I see lots of mango trees in the neighborhood, but few if any avocado trees. How to I check to see if the soil is…
Floyd
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I think my moisture meter is giving me a wrong reading in one pot

I think my moisture meter is giving me a wrong reading in one specific pot. The meter reads extremely wet even though if I dig down the soil just feels damp. Any ideas what would cause this? The soil is: G&B Organics Potting Soil For Indoor &…
Adam Meyer
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Is there a soil sieving and packing procedure to ensure equal moisture distribution?

I would like to know if there's a way to ensure every sample has the same initial conditions when performing soil experiments. The samples are going to be enclosed in containers of 13 cm height and 18 cm width. Is there a soil sieving and packing…
DCrown
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How to verify that my organic landscaper isn't using synthetic fertilizers?

A lot of companies offer "organic" programs for lawn and landscape care. I have listened to a lot of cynics say that all of them sneak prohibited chemicals onto the landscape to deliver results (because, according to them, organic can't work.) Is it…
That Idiot
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Leachfield and fruit trees - bad combination?

There are apple trees growing on our property, just past (downhill from) the septic tank. They are near the leach field, I imagine, but I don't know how close. The trees produce tiny, non-edible apples. We would like to graft scions of delicious…
nuggethead
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How to manage soil high in calcium and sulphur?

I did a soil test of my backyard and am unsure how to proceed with the results. My calcium at ~546ppm is way over. No idea how to lower that or if I should even worry about it. Sulphur is high at ~15ppm. I had wanted to lower my pH slightly but with…
Ifrit
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What soil problem would cause fruit and vegetable to grow very small?

One that is lawn clipping compost with a pH 6.0 where everything grows pretty well. The other garden is 40cm deep of supposedly Rich Organic Garden Soil but has a pH of 7.0. The only things that grow well in this one is Shallots, Parsnip and Carrot.…
Pat
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Interpreting soil test instructions

I tested my vegetable garden soil with a lusterleaf rapitest Soil Test Kit. My soil test came back as depleted for nitrogen and phosphorous, and adequate for potash. This is the section of the test kit insert with instructions. Am I interpreting…
nuggethead
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