Soil Testing: A Comprehensive guide
Why is Soil Testing Important?
- Optimizes plant growth and crop yields
- Saves on costs of fertilizer and amendments
- Improves animal health
Eagle Seed is famous for its top-performing crop varieties and soybeans. To make the most of our top-end genetics and produce the most abundant food per acre for your plot, pasture, or farm, it is important to get your soil right and to use the correct inoculants. The first goal in soil testing is correcting the pH. The soil pH should be around 6.5 to unlock bound nutrients and to allow for the survival of beneficial bacteria. This mid-range pH level is the most desirable since it is the point at which the most nutrients are available for plant uptake.
Studies also show that deer and cows prefer well-fertilized plots. Plants that lack minimum levels of needed elements will not grow properly or provide enough needed minerals to your animals. This deficiency can lead to stunting, yellowing or even plant death. Remember, when you feed your plants, the animals are also removing your fertilizer and absorbing the nutrients in their bones and tissues (leading to better animal growth). Fertility is important because plants with higher levels of nutrients perform better and can feed so many more animals, ensuring high rates of gain and a better investment of your seed dollars.
As with traditional management practices, regenerative practices can also create more Nitrogen if the pH has been corrected, and proper inoculants are used. Organic matter can be increased by incorporating no-till and cover crop management practices. If you start with low fertility and low pH, your regenerative plants will not produce the tonnage you can produce on a properly maintained plot. Also, using plants with inferior genetics will slow your organic matter progress. Over time as you build fertility, you can incorporate more regenerative practices to meet your goals. With our Buffalo Food Plot System®, we encourage the use of manures, inoculants, and lime on low pH soil.
For an optimal soil health routine, use our Beans and Greens™ Method or our Buffalo System.® This routine provides for an in-season crop rotation to discourage any nematode or monoculture issues. In this method, plant an Eagle Seed Forage Soybean in the summer and broadcast a fall product such as Smorgasbord® over the top of the existing soybean plot in the fall. Plant the fall planting 45-60 days before fall frost and just ahead of a good rain.
Understanding Soil pH Level
A pH test is an excellent way to gauge whether your soil is acidic, neutral, or alkaline. If the pH value is 7.0, your soil is neutral. Anything below 7.0 indicates acidity, while a value above 7.0 suggests alkalinity. Many plants thrive when the pH level is within the range of 6 to 7.5. With a suitable pH, your plants will do much better.
What Tools are Used for Soil Testing?
Tools needed may include soil probes or spades, ruler, shovel, and a collection box or bucket.
Soil testing boxes can often be found for free at your county extension office:
When Should I Test My Soil?
The best time to test soil for accurate results is during the fall, specifically between September and December. Always test prior to adding any fertilizer or lime.
Best Way to Test Your Soil:
Start by designating a field area. Within the field area, determine quadrants so that you can pull many representative samples from within that same field. Topsoil samples should include a core of the top six inches of soil. Try not to over-represent one layer of the soil. Avoid bare spots and water holes. The soil should not be sopping wet. If you pull a muddy sample, you might allow time for it to air dry before boxing it.
Use a spade or shovel to gather numerous samples from different sections of the field into a bucket. Remove debris, rocks and non-soil particles. Thoroughly mix the soil to get a homogenized composite sample. Most soil test boxes provided by county extension offices will allow for a pint of soil. Mark the box with your name and field information. Also, providing crop details to the extension office will allow for better soil recommendations. Sample costs are nominal through extension services. These test results are far better than in-home kits.
Problematic areas such as mud holes and bare spots could be sampled separately so that you can identify the exact nature of the problem.
Using A Soil Testing Kit At-Home
These kits only check for the four main chemical factors influencing plant growth: nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and pH. To use a soil kit at home, follow the directions in the box or follow these steps:
1. Collect soil samples from different parts of your yard or garden and combine them in a single large container.
2. Spread the soil sample on a sheet of newsprint and let it dry for 12 hours.
3. Mix 1 cup (150 g) of soil with 5 cups (1,200 mL) of distilled water.
4. Fill both chambers of the test containers included with your testing kit. Many testing kits come with a small dropper tool to help you measure the water accurately.
How Often Should Soil Be Tested?
It is recommended to test your soil once every three years. If you have a new plot and are working to move the pH significantly, it helps to test twice a year.
Soil Test Results
Once you receive your soil test results, you’ll have the necessary information to evaluate soil quality. Identifying the soil pH, nutrient levels, organic matter, and texture will allow you to make informed decisions on what to do next.
CEC- is a measurement of your Cation Exchange Capacity. This is a measurement of how well the soil holds nutrients. Sandy soils have low CECs and heavier clay soils have higher CECs. If your CEC is less than 6, you will want to keep an eye on nutrient deficiencies (especially Potassium). CECs ranging from 15-20 are usually in good shape to hold nutrients.
Nutrient Levels:
For most plants, the soil test level needs a minimum of 40 lbs of Phosphorus (around 20 ppm) and 250 lb of Potassium (around 125 ppm). Nitrogen is harder to monitor and is based off of yield goals. Grasses species may require 100-200 lbs of actual Nitrogen per acre. A legume paired with its proper beneficial bacteria (inoculant) does not need extra Nitrogen, but starter N of 20 lbs is fine. In general, the soil test lab will let you know if your levels of Ca, Mg, Mn, Su, Bo are low, medium or high. You should consider adding amendments for these elements if they are on the borderline between medium and low.
Inoculant:
Many legume species have symbiotic relationships with specific bacteria to pull atmospheric Nitrogen into the soil. Strains of these bacteria, inoculants, allow the plant to pull Nitrogen from the soil. There are no inoculants for grass species. Our clovers are treated with inoculants on the seed coatings. However, due to short shelf stability, we sell soybean, cowpea and other legume inoculants separately.
Making Soil Amendments
Once you have your results, you may be encouraged to use quick fix pH increasers. However, these products will be temporary. For increasing your pH over time, science shows that ag lime is the most reliable and cost effective. Gypsum can be used in heavily compacted clay soils make them more porous and helps them hold more moisture. If your soil test shows that you have less than
Frequently Asked Questions
Are DIY soil test kits accurate?
DIY kits can provide helpful preliminary information but misses many of the elements tested by professional soil tests.
Where can I get an at-home soil test kit?
Soil testing boxes are available from your county extension office for a nominal fee. We prefer university labs, but many popular retailers, such as Lowes, Home Depot, and Amazon provide sample kits.
How much soil is needed for a soil sample?
The soil required for accurate testing is typically 1-2 cups.
What is the best time for soil sampling?
The best time to test soil for accurate results is during the fall, specifically between September and December.
How do you test pH levels in soil?
Different methods exist for testing soil pH, including using a pH meter, a soil test kit, or sending samples to a lab.
Watch and learn how soil testing can help your animals and save you money.
