Soil Testing Information

Here are the steps for taking a good soil sample. OSU Extension Hancock County and Blanchard Valley Farmers Cooperative currently work with Sure-Tech Laboratories. Samples are mailed to the lab each Wednesday morning.

What is a soil test?

Why do you need a soil test?

Taking a Good Sample

Receiving the Soil Test Report

What is a Soil Test?

A soil test is a process by which elements (phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, sulfur, manganese, copper and zinc) are chemically removed from the soil and measured for their "plant available content" within the sample. The quantity of available nutrients in the sample determines the amount of fertilizer that is recommended.

A soil test also measures soil pH, humic matter and exchangeable acidity. These analyses indicate whether lime is needed and, if so, how much to apply.

Why Do You Need a Soil Test?

Encourages plant growth by providing the best lime and fertilizer recommendations.

When growers guess about the need for lime or fertilizers, too little or too much is likely to be applied. By using a soil test report, the grower does not need to guess. For example: When applying too much lime, soil pH may rise above the needed level, which causes nutrients such as iron, manganese, boron, copper & zinc, to become less available to plants. It is also common to see homeowners purchase 1 bag of lime when they purchase 1 bag of fertilizer. Based on an average lawn of 5000 sq. feet, 1 bag of fertilizer may be enough - but 1 bag of lime over 5000 sq. feet will have little effect on soil pH.

Diagnoses whether there is too little or too much of a nutrient.

Promotes environmental quality.

When gardeners apply only as much fertilizer as is necessary, nutrient runoff into surface or ground water is minimized and natural resources are conserved.

Saves money that might otherwise be spent on unneeded lime and fertilizer.

Extension FactSheets for further reference -

Soil Testing is an Excellent Investment for Garden Plants and Commercial Crops

Guidelines for Choosing a Soil Testing Laboratory

Soil Sampling for Agricultural Crop Production

Taking a Good Sample

A soil sample must be taken at the right time and in the right way.

Things that influence the sample quality are:

tools used
area sampled
depth and the correct mix of the sample
information provided and packaging

In Hancock County, testing supplies can be obtained from

OSU Extension, Hancock County

7868 CR 140 Suite B

Findlay OH 45840.

Samples are mailed to the lab each Wednesday morning & thus samples received by 4:30 p.m. each Tuesday will be included in that week's submission.

Time it right.

Take a soil sample a few months before starting any new landscaping - whether your laying sod, starting a vegetable garden, putting in a flower bed, or planting perennials. If the soil test report recommends lime, you will have enough time to apply it and have it adjust the soil pH before you plant.

Sample established areas (lawns, trees, shrubbery, and other perennials) - once every 3 or 4 years. You can sample at any time of year; however, mid-August through mid-September is an ideal time to take samples for cool-season grasses, such as fescue, bluegrass, and ryegrass. By sampling at this time, you can be ready to apply lime in the fall.

For areas recently limed or fertilized, delay sampling at least 6-8 weeks.

Use clean sampling equipment.

Use a soil probe, spade, hand garden trowel, or shovel to collect samples. Do not use brass, bronze, or galvanized tools because they will contaminate samples with copper and/or zinc.

Mix samples in a clean, plastic bucket. If the bucket has been used to hold fertilizer or other chemicals, wash it thoroughly before using is for soil samples.

Sample each unique area separately.

Each sample should represent only one soil type or area - for example, a lawn, vegetable garden or perennial landscaped area. For each unique area, take a t least 6-8 subsamples and combine them to make one sample. If one area of your yard seems healthy and anothr has bare or yellow areas, sample healthy and unhealthy areas separately even if both are lawn grasses or flower gardens, etc.

Take a soil core to the appropriate depth.

Lawns	sample to a depth of 4 inches (excluding any turf thatch)
Vegetable & flower gardens	generally 4-6 inches (sample to the depth you plan to mix in lime or fertilizer)
Shrubbery	remove any mulch or surface debris, then sample to a depth of 4-6 inches around the base of plants. Avoid zones where lime or fertilzer have been recently applied.

Mix sample cores well.

Place all the subsamples for one unique area in a plastic bucket and mix thoroughly. Use the mixture in the bucket to fill a soil sample bag about 2/3 full. Look for the fill-line on the bag.

Fill out an information sheet and label the sample completely.

There are a number of soil and tissue testing laboratories to which you could submit your sample. OSU Extension FactSheet HYG-1132-99 provides a partial listing of those labs and their services. Samples submitted to OSU Extension Hancock County and Blanchard Valley Farmers Cooperative are currently being processed at Sure-Tech Laboratories.

This lab has three basic analysis packages:

R = $12 Routine Analysis	RO = $13 Routine Analysis with Organic Matter	C = $16 Complete Analysis
P,K,pH, lime index, Ca, Mg, CEC, cation saturations, Ca/Mg ratio and Mg/K ratio	P,K,pH, lime index, Ca, Mg, CEC, cation saturations, Ca/Mg ratio and Mg/K ratio AND organic matter	P,K,pH, lime index, Ca, Mg, CEC, cation saturations, Ca/Mg ratio and Mg/K ratio, organic matter, Zn, Mn, B, Cu, S

Package the sample appropriately.

Put the soil mixture (about 2 cups of dry dirt) in the sample bag. Do not tape the bag or put soil in a plastic bag.

Receiving the Soil Test Report

Soil samples are usually analyzed within 7-10 days of the time they are received. However, from late fall through early spring, processing may take several weeks due to the heavy sample influx from farmers at this time. When testing is complete, a report is mailed. Consult an agricultural advisor for more help on sampling, interpreting soil test results, and understanding how to implement them.