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Taking a Quality Soil Sample
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1. |
Dig a small hole to the sampling depth. The sampling depth will depend on the area you're testing.
| Garden: |
If your garden is going to be rototilled or turned over before seeding or planting, take the sample from six to 10 inches deep. |
| Lawns: |
Take a sample from two to four inches deep. Do not include thatch, grass or other debris in your sample. |
| Flowerbeds: |
Take a sample from eight inches deep. |
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2. |
Once you've reached the required depth, cut a half-inch slice from the face of the hole. This is called your sample core.
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3. |
Your sample should consist of cores taken from five to 15 random, but evenly spaced, areas from your lawn or garden. The larger the area, the more samples you should take. A simple way of doing this is walking a diagonal line across the sample area, drawing cores as you go.
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4. |
Put the cores into a clean, plastic pail and mix thoroughly to break them up. Remember to remove any rocks or leaves that may be in the sample. Your soil-testing laboratory won't need the entire pail of soil for testing, but they do recommend a certain amount for you to send in. Put this amount in a clean, plastic bag (such as a sandwich bag) and make sure to label it with your name, address, sample depth and some kind of sample identifier such as "garden" or "front flower bed". Some laboratories send you sample kit so use the containers provided, but remember to label those too.
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5. |
You should only need one sample for a single garden, lawn, or flower garden as long as the soil texture is the same throughout the entire area and that fertilizer or limestone application has been the same throughout the entire area. If it hasn't, then a separate sample from that area will need to be taken as well.
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6. |
Once the sample is bagged, they should be sent to your local soil-testing laboratory immediately. If you need to store the sample before sending, keep it in the refrigerator.
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The test results will outline recommendations for fertilizer and limestone use to enhance what you're growing. If you have any questions about the test results, contact the laboratory that preformed the test.
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