I know... it's kinda like closing the barn door AFTER the horse got out! But I saw the little test kit the other day and thought I'd see what kind of soil I have. I took a sample from the middle of the empty lot where the ground has not been dug, planted it, watered, fed, anything. Here's what I found. pH level... around 7.5 (which puts it between neutral and Alkaline). Nitrogen... Very low... the color of the water barely changed! Yikes... I think I need some Nitrogen! Phosphorous... is there such as "low medium"? Potash... "high medium". Just reading the little card that came with the kit... it says to adjust the nitrogen for green and thicker lawns. Our grass is pretty green and thick. I can't imagine adding anything else to it. Also says for more abundant flowers (that's what I want!) it says to control the Potash and Phosphorous. I'm in the "middle" range there. So... I never did well in science. What does my findings mean? Surely I'd need some Nitrogen? And if so... what's the best way to do that? But wait.... now that I think about it... I've amended my soil with all the planting and compost and mulch and food. I know... I should get another test kit and compare the "virgin" soil to my amended soil. Right?
Yes, to get a more comprehensive picture of your land you need to test more than one spot and Include areas that you have worked to see if your gardening techniques have lowered the pH. The pH can be slowly lowered by adding organic material. In hot arid areas rain does not leach calcium out of the soil the pH will be on the alkali side. Most plants will tolerate a pH of 7.5. Growing acid loving plants may be a different story. A container may be a solution as you have more control over the content. Jerry
Cheryl, Taking the soil from only one area is not indicative of the overall Ph and nutrient level of your area. In order for accurate test results spend the money on a kit that you send to the county extension office to the soil scientist (if you have one there) and get the results from them. You take 6, or more samples from around your lawn/yard/garden/field, where you want the results from, mix it all together and send it to them. http://www.aleastern.com/taking_soil_sample.aspx So don't stress too much over the results of the sample and results from your little test.
How are your plants doing? that should be indicative of how much nitrogen in the soil, too. The really low N reading could be a single spot not the whole garden. If you are really worried use something mild like rabbit manure for instant help, alfalfa pellets sparingly, ammonia diluted 1c to 1 gal of water or regular fertilizer, but the N is available to plant according to the Ph of the soil and eac plant may have different Ph requirements. Tomatoes like to be in the 6.0 to 6.9 range, Blueberries need 4.09 to 5.0.. here is a chart to see the difference for your plants http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/cons ... lants.html
Carolyn... I think everything is doing okay... at least doing what I expect of them. And I'm really not that worried... just was curious to see what was here.... in general. I'm not all into the scientific exact stuff. That would drive me nuts worrying about every little "this & that". With me being very NON scientific , I didn't wash the shovel. Didn't go out and buy distilled water (used some from a sprayer/mister that has been sitting around for months... I thought that was close enough). So.. I was just trying to get a general idea. I was kinda taken aback by the almost lack of nitrogen though. And I'll do another test in the front flower bed, since that's the spot I've been gardening in the longest. Hey... it's kinda fun!
I did another test today... this time from a flower bed that I've been growing in going on three years. Results... Phosphorus... about the same, Low "medium". Potash... same "high" medium. Poor Nitrogen... still practically non-existant. pH level seemed to be closer to 7.0 (neutral) than the first test, which I concluded was about 7.5 (headed towards Alkaline). So... from this very unscientific test...I still think I need a bunch of Nitrogen.
Cherylad, I have been interested in this thread. Strange that tests show the N to be so low, yet your plants are growing well. Is this in the new bed that you established along the front of your property, near the (I forget) road? driveway?
No Cayuga... I took the second sampling from a flower bed in the back that is about 3 years old. I'm still baffled by that very low Nitrogen content.
