Contact a large garden center in your area or the University of Maryland (each state has a college that does the soil testing for it's residents). They will either have the kits available for you or know where you can get one. It comes with complete instructions on how and where to take the soil samples. You send the samples to the U of M testing facility, they will send you a nice print out of all the properties found or not found in the soil and tell you what you need to add to make any corrections needed.
Thank you Toni! You're a wealth of info. That's what I thought. No way to test it myself then? Have to send it off? I'm not so good on the follow through on those kinds of things, truth be told.
Hold on there a minute, Miss Daisy-- you can test it yourself, y'know. To get an idea: http://www.homeharvest.com/soiltesting.htm http://www.planetnatural.com/site/xdpy/ ... est%20Kits I have used two kit sorts--one is a sort of "shake and settle" type and the other was a Litmus paper-type of test, which I preferred. You know, if you have access to a lab, you could possibly get hold of a few urine testing strips and use the pH section on that. The thing with testing for pH is that I don't just use plain tap water, rather distilled water or water that has been boiled and allowed to stand for a while--or rain water for that matter, so that there will be as little external interference as possible. Take the sample from the level in the soil where the roots would be. Of course what Toni is talking about is the best (sending the sample off to the U. of M.)...there's no doubt about that. It is always more precise to go with the pro's. But I am a cheap-o and find that it takes less time and money to get a ballpark idea, so I go that route.
Daisy if it is just an idication of the ph of your soil you want to know, I would suggest that you make use of ph-test strips like these https://www.indigoinstruments.com/test_strips/ph-litmus/ph-test-strips-acid-base-ph-1-14.html will do just fine. I make use of these strips because it is easily available and easy to use. Just mix some soil that you want to test for the ph with water which is neutral and just dip the strip in it and compare the colour. It is quite accurate and they make use of these strips in school. Maybe you can get it from your local chemist. We do not have such service as mentioned by Toni in this part of the world so we have to make do with what we can get our hands on and a lot of guessing.
Super duper guys, thanks. I learned today too that I can buy a soil testing tool that is some sort of probe that you would stick into the soil. A ph reading would come up immediately. Perhaps it is battery operated. I'll see if I can check them out this weekend, either at the garden center that sells them, or at a garden show I'm attending. I'll post some info just to round out the post for future readers, but I like the sound of the ph indicator strips just as well. Spring isn't even here yet and already I've learned a bunch of new things. Thank you again, Toni, Sjoerd & KKNg.
great news, Daisy. Is the instrument something like this? http://www.lamotte.com/soil/product_lin ... on/ph.html When you make your final post here, would you mind encluding a pic?
great thread all! so what happened daisy? do you have any pics? was the instrument sjoerd posted the one you were going to buy? i'm interested in testing our soil ourselves, too. all info appreciated!
Hey Bunkie, I did get a tester. It is similar to the one shown. I'm actually going to make use of it today so I'll be able to offer a more informed review and I will let you know.
When I went to the garden center, they carried a wide variety of ph testers, probably 20 - 25 types. They ranged in price from $5 to $50 or more. Some tested only ph. Others tested ph plus other things like different nutrients, temperature, and fertilizer levels. At each price point, the level of detail increased. Some were kits that involved adding soil and water and capsules of a reactive chemical to a small canister, waiting a few minutes and then comparing to a chart. Others were battery powered electronic probe devices that give an immediate reading on a small screen. I opted for an electronic probe type that cost about $20. I just knew that I would be curious and want to ph test everything and the electronic probe seemed more convenient than the kits. But, that all depends on preference, I would think. ph tester that I bought ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) It's really easy to use... comes with a little piece of scrubby material to clean the grit off the prongs... uses 1 AA battery... the directions say to moisten the dirt and wet the prongs but I found that I got the same results without wetting the prongs and as long as the soil was damp, not bone dry. At first, it seemed like everything had the same ph and I began to think it wasn't working but as I wandered around the yard testing things, I saw different results. The ph of the soil in the area where my blueberries will be is right at 6 at the roots level (a tiny bit higher in another area a little further from the pine tree). Inside the composter is right at 5 and the peat I bought is between 4-5. ph of regular soil at roots level ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) ph of material inside the composter ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) ph of peat ( photo / image / picture from daisybeans's Garden ) I also learned that it isn't easy to change the overall ph over a large area -- it takes a lot of amendment. For example, I added a whole 50 lb bag of peat to a small area and when mixed in with the existing soil, the change in ph was hardly detectable. I added soil acidifier (sulfur) yesterday and will check again today. Also noticed that my one little rhododendren seems happy enough at a ph of 6, even though I know they like a more acidic soil so I'll put some peat around it later today. Overall, a pretty interesting little project yesterday and I think I will like using the tester. Hope that helps!
thanks for the info and pics daisy! we're going to go to the garden place and check out these testers. hubby mentioned that he'd like to get one that also gives the levels of P, N, K, etc... in the soil if possible, too. do they have such a thing? i'll post our results here when we get one.
Yes, absolutely. The one I have gives some sort of general reading that I haven't looked at much yet but others had much more detail. I know the kits had separate readings for P,K & N and other things as well. There may have been an electronic device that did the same for a bit more $. I may regret not getting that kind later on. You know, the more you know, the less you know, the more you want to know... I'll be interested to see what you get!
