SOIL SAMPLING AND ANALYSIS Test, dont guess is our philosophy at MSU Extension.

Considering the cost of fertilizer and seed invested in crops, lawns or gardens, a soil test is an excellent investment of your time & money. Plants growing in soil with the proper pH and receiving the right nutrient supplementation have a better chance to for maximum production. The soil analysis is good for several years also. How to sample soils For crop fields, take 20 sub samples or cores to a depth of 8 inches in an area no larger than 20 acres. If the field is in no till or minimum tillage with surface applied nitrogen, consider a separate sample at a depth of 2 inches for pH only. If the field is larger than that, use reference points to divide the field into manageable portions. Traveling an M pattern cover a representative portion of the field. Do not sample unusual areas like knobs, low spots, old lime dump sites or old fence rows. Mix the cores in a clean plastic pail and remove about a pint of soil for the sample. Air dry if it is wet. Place in a zip lip bag and identify it with the field name. Fields should be sampled every 3 years. For lawns, take 12-15 sub samples or cores to a depth of 3 inches. For new yards, sample to a depth of 6 inches. Consider sampling the front yard separate from the back yard. Mix the cores in a clean plastic pail and remove about a pint of soil for the sample. Air dry if it is wet. Place in a zip lip bag and identify it with the name of the area sampled. Lawns should be sampled every 5 years. For gardens and flower beds, take 9 sub samples or cores to a depth of 5 inches. Mix the cores in a clean plastic pail and remove about a cup of soil for the sample. Air dry if it is wet. Place in a zip lip bag and identify it with the name of the area sampled. Gardens and flower beds should be sampled every 3 years. Processing & Analysis Bring your soil samples to the Allegan MSUE office and we will help you fill out a lab analysis information sheet. We will ask you questions about the current or previous plant production on the site, the planned crop & yield goal and if manure has been applied. The standard analysis from the MSU Soils Lab is for pH, lime index, cation exchange capacity (CEC), phosphorous, potassium, calcium and magnesium. Recommendations returned include lime (if needed), nitrogen, phosphate and potash in pounds per acre or per 1,000 square feet (lawn & garden). Crops sensitive to zinc or boron deficiencies may have an additional recommendation for supplementation. The cost, including packaging & shipping, is $12.00/sample. Additional tests are available. Organic matter is $4, micronutrients are $3.50, pH alone $5 and PSNT is $9 (sample must be dry). The MSU Soil & Plant Nutrient Lab also offers analysis for marl & lime, compost, saturated media (greenhouse growth media), water and plant tissue. Contact our office for more details on sampling & prices.

Web Sites for More Information

http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modf1/06039704.html soil sampling procedure http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modf1/06039704.html soil sampling strategies http://www.msue.msu.edu/msue/imp/modf1/06039707.html soil pH & lime recommendations http://www.msue.msu.edu/aoe/turfgrass/lawn.html MSUE Turf AoE http://www.msu.edu/~warncke/E0498%20Sampling%20Soils%20for%20Fertilizer%20and%20Lime %20Recommendations.pdf Sampling Soils bulletin E-498