8/3/2019 Soil Testing Advantages to Usha..

1/2

SOIL TESTING...the Right First Step How much o that ertilizer should be

applied or each application. When during the year each application

should be made.

Whether your soil pH is in the properrange, i not how much lime is needed toadjust it to the desired range.

WHEN SHOULD SOIL BE TESTED?

The best time to evaluate the nutrientstatus o the soil is during a time whenplants arent growing, although any time oyear is satisactory. In any case, its moreenvironmentally riendly to SOIL TEST thanto guess about which ertilizers to use. Foryour SOIL TEST to be as accurate as possible,collect the soil sample beore ertilizeris applied and use the proper samplingprocedures.

WHERE TO FIND MORE

INFORMATION ON SOIL TESTING?

Contact your County Extension Oce ormore inormation on SOIL TESTING. Theywill submit your samples to the OSU SoilTesting Laboratory and help you interpret theresults.

SOIL TESTING...the Right First StepHOW TO HAVE A GOOD LAWN

AND GARDEN

We all appreciate lush green lawns andproductive gardens around our home. Ater

all, attractive lawns and gardens add both theaesthetic value and real value o our home.

To have a beautiul lawn and productivegarden, it is necessary to add ertilizer on atimely basis. When lawns and gardens do notreceive nutrients needed, they never achievethe quality or productivity we anticipate.When too much ertilizer is applied,nutrients are wasted and pose a threat to theenvironment.

WHY SOIL TEST?

All plants, including turgrass and gardenplants, need 16 essential nutrients to grow,most o them come rom the soil. Plants alsorequire avorable soil chemical conditions asindicated by the soil pH. For a lawn or gardento maintain quality or productivity, we mayneed to add ertilizer to supply extra nutrients

or add lime to neutralize acidity andadjust the pH. A SOIL TESTidenties necessary ertilizer andlime requirements.

Adding more o a nutrient thana lawn or garden needs can costextra money and may harm the

plants or contaminate theenvironment.

The true valueo a SOIL TEST isto help ensure thatonly needed nutrientsare added and inquantities whichdont adversely aectenvironmental quality.

WHAT IS A SOIL TEST?

A SOIL TEST is a chemical analysisthat estimates a soils ability to supplynutrients. Results rom a SOIL TEST allowyou to monitor soil chemical conditions, tapexisting nutrient supplies, identiy nutrientdeciencies, and apply optimum ertilizeramounts.

Based on results rom your soil sample,your county Extension educator will provideyou with the ollowing inormation: Which ertilizer analysis is best or your

lawn or garden. The analysis (percentageo nitrogen, phosphate, and potash) is

stated on each ertilizer bag. For example:25-3-3; contains 25 percent N, 3 percentP

2O

5, and 3 percent K

2O.

BENEFITS OF SOIL

TESTING

Take advantage ofnutrients already in thesoil.

Identify nutrients that arelacking in the soil.

Reduce fertilizerapplications by applyingonly what is needed.

Provide a proper balanceof plant nutrients.

Adjust soil pH to anoptimum level.

Reduce chances of excessnutrients getting intowater sources.

TEST YOUR SOIL AND TAKE THE

RIGHT FIRST STEP TOWARDS:

A More Beautiful Lawn

A More Productive Garden

A More Environmentally Friendly

Home

8/3/2019 Soil Testing Advantages to Usha..

2/2

COLLECTING A GOOD SOIL SAMPLE

Soil properties vary rom place to place.The sample should be representative othe lawn or garden as a whole.

Do not sample unusual ornonrepresentative areas.

Scrape plant debris rom soil surace

beore sampling.

Sample lawns and gardens to a 6" depth.

Using a clean bucket and a soil probeor spade, combine cores or slices osoil rom at least 10 locations scatteredthroughout the lawn or garden (seediagram).

Mix soil thoroughly and ll the samplebag with a pint o the mixture.

Submit samples to your OSU CountyExtension Oce. They will sendsamples to the OSU Soil, Water andForage Laboratory or testing.

SOILTESTING

Towards Proper Care oYour Lawn and Garden

Leafet L-249

Oklahoma Cooperative Extension ServiceDivision o Agricultural Sciences and Natural ResourcesOklahoma State University

SOILTESTING

...the RightFirst Step

405-744-6630soiltesting@okstate.edu

www.soiltesting.okstate.edu

Hailin Zhang,Laboratory Director

This program was adapted rom a similar

program developed by the Texas Agricultural

Extension Service, Texas A&M University

SOIL TESTING . . . theRight First Step towards propercare o your lawn and garden.

Street

x Lawn sampling locations Garden sampling locations

Garden

House

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

xx

Oklahoma State University, in compliance with Title VI and VII o the Civil Rights Act o1964, Executive Order 11246 as amended, Title IX o the Education Amendments o1972, Americans with Disabilities Act o 1990, and other ederal laws and regulations,does not discriminate on the basis o race, color, national origin, gender, age, religion,disability, or status as a veteran in any o its policies, practices or procedures. Thisincludes but is not limited to admissions, employment, fnancial aid, and educationalservices.

Issued in urtherance o Cooperative Extension work, acts o May 8 and June 30, 1914,in cooperation with the U.S. Department o Agriculture, Robert E. Whitson, Director

o Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater,Oklahoma. This publication is printed and issued by Oklahoma State University asauthorized by the Vice President, Dean, and Director o the Division o AgriculturalSciences and Natural Resources and has been prepared and distributed at a costo $1.35 per copy. GH 0208