Soil Test
 

date: 08/12/2016

dropped off a pint of soil at the local extension office this morning. said it would be two weeks before I got my results (which I will post in this thread). Pretty painless task, unlike many government interactions, and was the only one there. The girl was extremely helpful and appeared bored, so talked quite a bit about the operation. Evidently, they test almost anything, grass, tree bark (had a baggie ready to ship of white spots off oak tree), soil of various nature.

Asked me a few questions:

1. Have I added any lime in the past 4 years? I haven't on large scale.
2. What crops was I growing? I guess this is to differentiate composition suggestions. I replied tomatoes of course. But beans, peas was different.
3. How big was the garden (less than 1 acre)? I guess maybe they compute recommendations.

The office was your typical g-ment establishment, but I think this is where the master garden program also resides, as they had an awesome shade garden in the front and the hedges were nice w/o the expected beer bottles and trash underneath.

The lab for soil is in Marianna, Ark., (which I knew), one of Elvis' old stomping grounds in the ark. delta. Bark and grass goes to Fayetteville, lots of landscapers use this service.

One of the big concerns, esp. in the historic downtown district, is lead in the soil from the houses built in the 17-1800's. Reportedly lead can stay in the soil for 100's of years. Maybe something to consider before your next home purchase is to test the soil.

I mentioned a girl that tested her soil for her garden before purchase (kchd..), and thought that was brilliant. She mentioned that often ppl come in after the fact with dead sod they just spent 10K on.

We also talked about the tomato crop failure this year in the mid-south. Late blight. They were real busy at that time of the year. Too much rain. Also said I can bring in a specimen that can be examined.

It was kind of refreshing to know that I am utilizing a service my tax dollars provide for ONCE!

Anyhoo, just a brief statement for others and reminder. Figure I can get a cover crop or amend this fall w/ time to spare. Most ppl wait until spring, right before the deadline, but me thinks you have time on your side an advantage by testing in the fall. maybe.....

......to be continued, with hopefully decent #'s.

They didn't remove lead from paint until 1978
Most of which accumulates around the drip lines or exterior of the house.
This stuff can really play hell with the development of a child.

Worth

I remember an episode of This Old House where they discovered lead had been washing down into the planting bed soil next to an older home. The owners had children and were warned to never plant edibles in that area.

And if you don't know the history of your property, there's a chance that lead or other contaminants could have been dumped there. Friends bought a home that had been previously owned by a painting contractor and ended up discovering one whole section of their lot was basically a toxic waste site. They eventually learned it was where the painter used to keep his dumpster.

I had a guy tell me they go in and spread soil over the top of old auto salvage yards because they only test so far down and it isn't that far.
They do this instead of cleaning the place up.
The property behind my house used to be the old city land fill from many years ago.
No telling what kind of stuff is buried out there.'
You can tell where it stopped and started by the age of the trees.

Worth

On the bright side, tomatoes don't uptake lead. Leafy greens are the worst about it.

I played with a big block of lead when I was a kid, I think that's why I'm slow.:dizzy:

ha. probably ate a few lead paint chips a a kid. let's hope we don't get none of that in the sample.

I was running conduit in an old cabinet shop and kicked a dusty old 2X6 out of the way.
It didn't move it was a solid bar of lead.
Ouch.:lol:

Worth

As a kid I used to look for lead and copper to sell at the scrapyard. I remember an aunt giving me some mercury to play with. No bicycle helmets no seatbelts matches that would strike anywhere, how did we ever survive ?

We do survive. That's the sinister part of it. We do survive the onslaught of bacteria, fungi, parasites, chemicals, elements, and compounds.
However, look at how the majority of the adult population struggles with at least one chronic disease condition.
Most just chalk it up to "I must be getting old" as a reason for why they are not thriving, even into advanced age.
The body burden people are carrying around is unseen, and rarely considered as the factor for their woes. Then there are the diet choices people make that directly impact the equation further and to a greater degree.
"What doesn't kill you (instantly) makes you stronger", is one of the biggest myths of all time.
Inflammation from diet, along with exposure to the list above, creates chronic disease.
The greatest of all of these that you can directly control is diet.
/Rant off/

We were given some mercury to handle at school in science class.

In the shoe shops you could put your foot into a contraption and see an X-ray of it - fun!

At least we didn't have fast food or junk food when I was growing up.....

Linda

OK, to get back on topic, when I had excess energy and double dug part of the garden I found where the builders had dumped the excess green pigment for the first stucco coat on the house. It was a chromium compound that would not have been healthy if taken up by plants. Most removed to the landfill, and a frog pond over that area now.
PureHarvest , no rant only the truth.

I asked my friend why he didn't have a back yard garden.
He told me that the subdivision he was in they used the back yards for scrap fill and covered it with soil.
The scraps were concrete chunks bricks and rebar.
Worth

The city in which I was born, raised and still live was founded on lead and zinc mining. During the 80's the EPA did extensive soil testing and thousands of properties had the top several of inches of soil removed and replaced with uncontaminated soil. Apparently the whole town is built on top of old mine shaft from the extensive mining. I remember as a kid we would spend countless hours playing in the chat piles, digging and rooting around. Those chat piles were also removed in the 70's and 80's. I have little doubt this was detrimental to many who have made this area home. But growing up we had no idea we were living in a danger zone.

the results are in:

[ATTACH]65715[/ATTACH]


acidic soil, low N and K.

any help or suggestions would be appreciated. thanks

Your pH is WAY low so I would definitely add some lime this year to try to bring it up before spring.

I do not worry about N as it is so volatile. Most labs do not even test for it. Here is an article about N in the soil that you may find helpful

I do not try to adjust individual nutrients unless I see an issue with some of my plants. I just keep adding organic material and my own compost and over time the levels seem to equalize.

I do try to adjust pH if it is too high (which mine usually is).

thanks brownrexx. I do usually "top" off the beds with compost each year (2"+) and also fert each plant with plant tone a few times during the season.

In regards to the acidic soil, kind of perplexed. My "city" water is acidic as I did extensive testing on a fish aquarium, but prior tests with a cheap ph meter (free w/ a bag of soil) gave in-range results. Of course, not relying on that piece of garbage and when I get home today will throw in the trash. My clay soil is acidic as well, but these are raised beds with compost/green sand base and added compost each year.

I am completely in the dark on the side numbers to include the K2O reading. My CA seemed ridicuously high to me and other trace mineral results, I do not have a clue.

Adding lime should be an easy amend this fall, but what kind of lime is best for the garden? I have not added any - ever; which stands to reason given results. I know lime is used in a lot of building capacities.

In reality 1000sf would be the total sum of all my garden space, so not a huge task. But if I have a 5'x10'x21" raised bed (which several are), does the cubic component factor?

Your soil test is not totally understandable to me. I don't see any range to know whether Ca of Mg are high or low within their ranges. Maybe you can call the lab to get some guidance on this.
They only seem to tell you if a result is above or below optimum and you can not tell how high or low your result actually is.

I am attaching a copy of my soil test to show you what I am used to seeing and also a link on adding lime and what type. Lime, in addition to raising the pH, is going to add either Ca or Ca and Mg depending on which type you choose. I don't think that an excess of Ca hurts anything, the plants just can't use it (possibly someone else will have an idea on this).

I can't tell from your report whether you could use more Mg or not since I do not know the optimum range.

My soil pH is always high so I never have added lime but I do add sulfur to lower it.

You have probably not caused your pH to be low, it's just the composition of your native soil as well as the amount of rainfall that you receive.


[URL]http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/adding-lime-to-soil.htm[/URL]


I have never heard of anyone using the cubic feet to measure, just the square feet so I would do that if I were you.

I hope that this helps, but call the lab and ask them to help you understand the numbers. They are usually quite willing to help you.

Crop 2 notes tells you what to add per 1000 sq ft.
I would use calcitic lime and not dolomitic
Hope this helps!

Add your lime this fall and the rest next spring prior to planting

[QUOTE=brownrexx;589016]Your soil test is not totally understandable to me. I don't see any range to know whether Ca of Mg are high or low within their ranges. Maybe you can call the lab to get some guidance on this.
They only seem to tell you if a result is above or below optimum and you can not tell how high or low your result actually is.

I am attaching a copy of my soil test to show you what I am used to seeing and also a link on adding lime and what type. Lime, in addition to raising the pH, is going to add either Ca or Ca and Mg depending on which type you choose. I don't think that an excess of Ca hurts anything, the plants just can't use it (possibly someone else will have an idea on this).

I can't tell from your report whether you could use more Mg or not since I do not know the optimum range.

My soil pH is always high so I never have added lime but I do add sulfur to lower it.

You have probably not caused your pH to be low, it's just the composition of your native soil as well as the amount of rainfall that you receive.


[URL]http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/garden-how-to/soil-fertilizers/adding-lime-to-soil.htm[/URL]


I have never heard of anyone using the cubic feet to measure, just the square feet so I would do that if I were you.

I hope that this helps, but call the lab and ask them to help you understand the numbers. They are usually quite willing to help you.[/QUOTE]


This is the "free" test, they had more comprehensive tests that required payment to process. I like the layout of your lab test better, and also agree that if you are going to assign a number, then there should be some guideline on results. The lab did sent an interpretation booklet (2 pages) but is worthless by all accounts.

I do think the mentality is a garden or soil test is primarily expected to be an in-ground assessment. It would not surprise me if the acidic clay base of the raised beds "married" into the soil composition, or maybe acid rain. Plenty of time this fall to get a good lime soak in the beds though.

Thanks for the fb.

[QUOTE=Barbee;589024]Crop 2 notes tells you what to add per 1000 sq ft.
I would use calcitic lime and not dolomitic
Hope this helps!

Add your lime this fall and the rest next spring prior to planting[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the advice. I will call the farmer's market to see if they have a 50# bag for application this fall and also like the idea to give a nice sprinkle in the spring.

I figure this is a baseline Ph of sorts, as I have never added lime or base material. From a compost/green sand 70/30 mix, seems rather unlikely to see such a low number., quite shocked. Primarily tomatoes have been grown in most of the raised beds, so maybe tomatoes have something to do with lowering Ph? (maybe I should be more diligent about ones that fall off the vine and lay amist the soil). My native is modeling clay and acidic.

Calcitic Lime.... thx

My test costs $9 plus and additional $5 for the %OM.

It's cheaper than buying a pizza so I do it every year which is overkill but I like seeing the numbers.

Only use calcitic lime if you are sure that you don't need Mg which would be in the dolomite lime as well as calcium.

[QUOTE=brownrexx;589029]My test costs $9 plus and additional $5 for the %OM.

It's cheaper than buying a pizza so I do it every year which is overkill but I like seeing the numbers.

Only use calcitic lime if you are sure that you don't need Mg which would be in the dolomite lime as well as calcium.[/QUOTE]

I should have inquired about the different panels for a small price, maybe next time. In regards to understanding the "Nutrient Availability Index" section, I contacted the lab in Mariana and was met with great response. They are going to send me a pdf file on the values and pull my sample with some explanation. Supposedly with the next hour. I will post the pdf file in this thread.

We shall see.

I posted something here and it never showed up.
I will ask again.
Where do you want your pH to be.
I personally would prefer in the high 5's or low 6's.
In other words dont go crazy with the lime.
Some of the farmers in your area and other places give their fields a good dusting every year or so in the winter or early spring.

Worth

[QUOTE=Worth1;589038]I posted something here and it never showed up.
I will ask again.
Where do you want your pH to be.
I personally would prefer in the high 5's or low 6's.
In other words dont go crazy with the lime.
Some of the farmers in your area and other places give their fields a good dusting every year or so in the winter or early spring.

Worth[/QUOTE]

That's a good question. I would think 6.5 or mid 6's would be ideal (6.2-6.7), as I already know that supplied water is acidic and native soil acidic, so unlike to balloon up all of a sudden. Most beds are approx. 50 sq ft (5'x10'); so at 69lb per 1000sqft comes to 3.45lb per 50sqft.

However, the test results doesn't say what the application will bring the Ph # to? I guess till in a couple of pounds and retest after a month, etc., etc... IDK

I know there are "decent" ph meters on the market, but I don't own one. The one I have is a cheap needle gauge.

soil test pdf file explanation. not helpful, but this is what they sent to me.

[ATTACH]65722[/ATTACH]

Lime will change your pH very slowly so I would not retest before Spring. It also works best when incorporated into the top 2 inches of soil, not just sprinkled on top.

Your pH is low and it takes a lot of lime to raise it one whole point so don't be afraid to apply it.

I would aim for 6.5 - 6.7 as that is optimum for most vegetables.

Take it from someone who has worked in a Chemistry lab for 20 years - DO NOT waste your money on an at home pH meter. They are notoriously unreliable.

In our lab we calibrated ours with standard solutions every 8 hours to assure accuracy.

[QUOTE=brownrexx;589050]Lime will change your pH very slowly so I would not retest before Spring. It also works best when incorporated into the top 2 inches of soil, not just sprinkled on top.

Your pH is low and it takes a lot of lime to raise it one whole point so don't be afraid to apply it.

I would aim for 6.5 - 6.7 as that is optimum for most vegetables.

Take it from someone who has worked in a Chemistry lab for 20 years - DO NOT waste your money on an at home pH meter. They are notoriously unreliable.

In our lab we calibrated ours with standard solutions every 8 hours to assure accuracy.[/QUOTE]


I plan on ripping up the garden when things cool off in the fall, so plenty of time. Still have some haggard plants with small green tom's that might pull through if conditions improve.

Thanks for the Ph meter fallacy in modern market. The test is free at the extension, so can provide another sample in March before I make a strong run for springtime planting.

A call to the local farmer's coop discloses a litany of lime options, to include mechanism of delivery. Pellet, dust, granular, rock, etc.... and make 12 different classifications (carbonite, dolomite, etc...)

40# bag as cheap as $4.29 - 7.99 on average.

Really wanting to put my foot into next year and apply my learnings from t-ville.

On a side note:

The recent 8"+ of rain that fell on the natural state wrecked havoc on crops. Reported that some areas had 90% damage to cotton, late corn crops decimated, and soy beans shriveled in the pod.

It has been a rather unusual year. When the guy wearing the mesh crowned john deer ball cap says it is the worst he has ever seen, I tend to believe.

They can always sell corn smut.

Worth

The finer the lime is ground, the faster it will change the pH.

However none of them are fast, like overnight. It will still take several months.