The Importance Of Testing The Soil
Defined Tag: Soil Testing Kit.
Successful Gardening: The Importance Of Testing The Soil
Gardeners who would like to become good gardeners can begin by learning as much as possible about their soil. Although you can garden successfully without knowing whether the soil is acid or alkaline and how much potassium or phosphorus is present, you will be more successful if you have these facts and know how to use them. Soil tests are an easy way to gather such useful information. Soil tests are like highway road signs: They help point your soil improvement and fertilization programs in the right direction.
Soil tests reveal two things: They determine the acidity or alkalinity of the soil on the pH scale, and they indicate fertility by estimating how much of the major plant nutrients your soil contains.
PH is particularly important to gardeners because it is an important factor governing plant growth. It not only determines the chemical availability of vital nutrients to plants, but also what plants will grow well in a given soil. For example, in very alkaline soils, iron and other vital minerals such as boron, copper, manganese, and zinc are chemically tied up and plants cannot absorb them. As a result, acid-loving-plants such as azaleas, which need plenty of iron for growth, will not grow well in alkaline soil. Instead, they prefer acid soil, in which the nutrients they need are more readily available. On the other hand, phosphorus is the most important nutrient that is tied up in acid soil.
The pH scale ranges from 1.0 to 14.0. Neutral, a pH reading of 7.0, is in the center of the scale. All readings below 7.0 are acidic; readings above 7.0 are alkaline. Acidic soil is sometimes referred to as sour; alkaline soil as either limey or sweet. A pH level that is slightly acid to neutral - between 6.0 and 7.0 - is fine for most flower and vegetable gardens, because at that level the essential plant nutrients are most readily available. Most plants will tolerate a fairly wide pH range, especially if the soil is rich in organic matter.
It is important to remember that the pH scale is logarithmic; that is, a pH of 5.0 is 10 times as acid as a pH of 6.0, and 100 times more acid than a pH of 7.0. Changes in your soil's
pH reading that seem small can result in major changes in actual acidity or alkalinity.
Soil Tests
The two most common methods to obtain a soil test are using a home soil test kit or sending a soil sample to the cooperative extension service or a commercial soil testing lab. While extension or commercial soil lab tests provide more accurate results, either method is adequate for determining pH and soil fertility levels. In addition, soil pH can be tested with a specially designed pH meter that is used by sticking two metal probes in the soil, or with litmus paper and a corresponding color scale.
Home test kits are readily available, easy to use, and require no knowledge of chemistry or laboratory procedures. A big advantage is that they permit frequent, on-the-spot tests
without the wait for results inherent in using a soil lab. Home soil tests are conducted by simply putting a small portion of the soil sample in a test tube and then adding one or more chemicals, called reagents. The reagent reacts with the nutrient being tested for and indicates the quantity of the nutrient by changing color. Color charts are provided with the kits, and
the final analysis is made by comparing the color of the solution in the test tube to the proper color chart. Most kits provide solutions and guides for determining the approximate content of the three major soil nutrients: nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), as well as soil pH.
In addition to nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, soil samples can be tested for such minerals as calcium, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper, and zinc. City gardeners, as well as anyone who gardens near an old building or busy road should have the soil tested to make sure it has not been contaminated with heavy metals. Such tests are especially important if you are growing fruits or vegetables or if you have young children who might eat the soil. Lead, which leaches out of old paint, and cadmium are the most common heavy metals found in contaminated soil. Tests can also be performed to detect levels of sodium, mercury, chromium, and nickel.
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