Why Soil Testing is the Key to Healthy Happy Plants and a Healthy Happy Environment

 

By Keith Mickler

County Extension Officer

 

Soil testing is the fundamental beginnings behind healthy and happy plants. By soil testing we know exactly what fertilizer to apply to our soil to make our plants healthy and happy. Therefore we don't over fertilize which can lead to a very unhappy environment.

 

Just like my doctor has a blood test performed on me each year to see what my cholesterol, triglycerides and other levels are in my body. I am pretty dog-gone sure he cannot just look at me and say, Keith your cholesterol level is really high; here is a prescription for a drug that will lower your cholesterol. So what if I didn't have high cholesterol, well I have just wasted money on something I didn't need and it could be harmful to little ole me.

 

So, I ask you; why do we treat our soil, plants and environment this way by not soil testing. I have folks call me all the time asking how much lime and what fertilizer to apply to their garden or lawn. I respond by saying "without a soil test I am guessing." I go on the ask them to please just spend the $8.00 to get their soil tested. When done we will give you a written report telling you exactly what to apply and how much.

 

Soil testing is an outstanding measure of soil fertility. It's an inexpensive way to maintain healthy plants and thus happy environment. The standard soil test provides the status of phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), pH and lime needed if any. With a representative soil sample and a soil test, we can make sound fertilizer recommendations that will help gardeners and growers improve plant health, productivity, and save money, too!

 

Our soil is truly a living organism; therefore fertility varies throughout the growing season each year. The quantity and availability of nutrients are changed by the addition of fertilizers, manure, compost, mulch, lime or sulfur; in addition some just leach out.

Moreover, large amounts of nutrients are removed from soils as the plants grow and the harvesting of our bounty begins.

 

Why Soil Test

A soil test determines the current fruitfulness of your soil. It also provides the necessary prescription for maintaining peak soil fertility and plant performance year after year. Some plants grow well over a wide range of soil pH, while others grow best within a narrow range of pH. Most turfgrasses, flowers, ornamental shrubs, vegetables, and fruits grow best in slightly acid soils which represent a pH of 6.0 to 6.8. Plants such as rhododendron, azalea, mountain laurel, and blueberries require a more acidic soil to grow well.

 

A soil test is the only precise way to determine whether the soil is acidic, neutral, or alkaline. Most soil nutrients are readily available when soil pH is at 6.5. When soil pH rises above this value, nutrients such as phosphorus, iron, manganese, copper, and zinc become less available. When soil pH drops below 6.5, manganese can reach a toxicity level for some sensitive plants. A soil test will take the guesswork out of fertilizing and liming, not to mention it's extremely cost effective. Soil testing also eliminates wasting money on unnecessary fertilizers, but also eliminates over-usage, hence a healthy, happy environment.

 

How to Soil Test

Map out the area where the plants are to be grown or are presently growing. This will help in record keeping and ensure that the soil is taken from throughout the entire area. Divide the area such that each soil sample represents one condition. Here is a web link to soil testing: http://aesl.ces.uga.edu/soiltest123/Georgia.htm

 

Use a zigzag approach when taking samples. Collect 8-10 soil samples from each location. For trees and shrubs, take soil samples from six to eight spots around the drip-line of the plants.

 

The depth of sampling depends on the type of plants being grown. For lawns, sample to a depth of 4 inches. For gardens, ornamentals, mixed fruit trees and wildlife plots, sample to a depth of 6 inches

 

Clear the ground surface of grass thatch or mulch. Using a trowel, push the tool to the desired depth into the soil, push the handle forward, with the spade still in the soil to make a wide opening. Then, cut a thin slice from the side of the opening that is of uniform thickness, approximately ¼ inch thick and 2 inches in width, extending from the top of the ground to the depth of the cut. Collect from several (8 to 10) locations. Combine and mix them in a plastic bucket to avoid metal contamination. Take about a pint of the mixed soil and place it in a zip-lock bag. Be sure to identify your sample(s) clearly on the bag and remember where you took them from. Cost for each soil sample is $8.00.

 

Once all done with your the soil sampling bring the sample)(s) to the Floyd County Cooperative Extension Office located at 12 E. 4^th Ave, Suite 107 in the County Administration building in downtown Rome.

 

We are open Monday – Friday 8am to 5pm and closed from lunch from 12pm to 1:00 pm. Your soil samples will be processed and sent to The University of Georgia Soil Testing Laboratory in Athens, GA.

 

Keith Mickler is the County Coordinator and agriculture agent for The University of Georgia/Floyd County Cooperative Extension. Located at 12 East 4^th Ave, Rome, GA 30161 (706) 295-6210. Office hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension - Learning for Life. Agriculture and Natural Resources, Family and Consumer Sciences, 4-H Youth.  An Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Institution. To obtain extension publications please visit our web site www.ugaextension.com or contact your county Cooperative Extension office.