Testing your soil will help you understand what is going on in your garden, backyard or field: is there any harmful contamination in the soil you will be working with or growing your plants in?
Here are 8 reasons to test your soil:
1. Find any natural or man-made contamination. It is normal for some soils to have undesirably high levels of some hazardous contaminants due only to natural geochemistry, not because of legacy contamination from prior owners or nearby properties. However, contamination caused by prior users of the land, be they persons or businesses, could devalue the property or bar its future use altogether.
2. Learn about the soil condition and how to improve it. Fertile, clean soils are necessary to grow healthy crops. Soil fertility must be measured before it is improved. Soil fertility is determined by the chemical, physical and biological properties of the soil. Soil texture, color and structure are visible qualities. However, it is impossible to see the chemical composition of a soil without laboratory analyses. This is why soil sampling is essential. Soil tests are used to determine the nutrient content and the pH level of a soil. These will help choose the type and quantity of fertilizer needed to improve and maintain soil fertility.
3. Testing your soil is the first step in soil fertility management. With a proper soil-fertility management strategy, you can maximize the efficiency of nutrients and water use, leading to improved agricultural productivity. Soil testing helps improve your soil’s health.
4. Minimize fertilizer expenditures. Knowing the proper type and quantity of fertilizer your soil requires will save you money! You will not waste precious funds if you tailor your fertilizer to fit your soil’s needs. And, essential nutrients such as phosphorus and potassium are limited and must be conserved. Their prices have been increasing over the years and will continue to do so. It is smart to buffer now to inevitable changes.
5. Avoid over-fertilization. Applying fertilizer without knowing the actual nutrient needs of your soil may lead to over-fertilization. Testing your soil will help determine the proper quantity of fertilizer and avoid using excessive amounts. This is better for your crops and the environment. Over-fertilization causes burn and turns leaves yellow. It may also result in nutrient leaching, water pollution and irreversible damages to the surrounding aquatic life. Knowing your soil type and makeup will also help you conserve energy by applying just the right amount of fertilizer.
6. Avoid soil degradation. Soil degradation is a grave threat to every farmer. An estimated 24 billion tons of fertile soil is lost each year due to erosion - a result of improper soil management. Correct soil management is guaranteed by soil tests, followed by correct fertilization at the right moment. Besides avoiding risks of soil degradation, it is a more efficient and financially beneficial. In addition, soil restoration is a difficult, time-consuming, and costly process.
7. Avoid causing contamination. Knowing your soil will help you protect the environment from contamination by runoff and leaching of excess fertilizers to neighboring properties, to groundwater underneath your property, to sewer systems, and to nearby rivers, lakes and the sea.
8. Optimize your crop production. The most important reason to test your soil! It will help diagnose plant-culture problems. It will help make an informed selection of crops that will be successful on your land or growing media. It will therefore save you money by averting crop losses during your growing season.
Checklist for Soil Testing:
- Conduct pre-plant media analyses to provide an indication of potential nutrient deficiencies, pH imbalance or excess soluble salts. This is particularly important for growers who mix their own media.
- Conduct media tests during the growing season to manage crop nutrition and soluble salts levels.
Always use the interpretative data for the specific soil testing method used to avoid incorrect interpretation of results.
- Take a soil sample for testing about 2 hours after fertilizing or on the same day. If slow-release fertilizer pellets are present, carefully pick them out of the sample.
- In a greenhouse where a variety of crops are grown, take soil samples from crops of different species.
- If a problem is being diagnosed, take a sample from both normal and abnormal plants for comparison.
- Be consistent in all sampling procedures each time you sample.
- Do not compare soil test results from one lab to those obtained from another. Testing methods may vary. How the soil test results are interpreted is the key to what action you should take!