Soil Sampling

By Marcus McCartney, ANR Educator, OSU Extension Meigs county

It’s that time of year again, and I’m not talking about football or the changing of the seasons. It is soil testing time! Right now is the best time to test your soil. According to the director of West Virginia University’s state soil testing laboratory, soil samples taken in late summer and fall are better than those taken in winter through spring because they come closer to representing the soil’s nutrient level as it affects plants.

Why test soil? Soil testing provides information about the nutrient level of the soil and the amounts of lime and fertilizer needed to maximize production. To obtain proper lime and fertilizer recommendations for your soil, it is important to send a good soil sample to the lab for analysis. That will be ideal for those people who want to grow different plants. You often need to be aware of the nutrient level in the soil to make sure you have the ideal growing conditions for different plants. For example, those people growing cannabis will need specific nutrients and fertilizers to make sure it grows properly. Cannabis needs a variety of nutrients for optimal growing, so it might be worth doing some research to make sure the cannabis can grow correctly. Soil fertilizing and sampling could help people with this.

The soil sample collected needs to be representative of the area being tested. For small areas and lawns, take 5 to 10 randomly selected soil borings. If a field is large, subdivide into to 10 acre plots and take 20 borings for each 10 acre plot. Avoid taking borings from abnormal areas; for it will not be representative of the entire area.

Using an auger, shovel, or spade and a clean plastic pail or container, remove vegetation and take small uniform cores or thin slices from the soil surface to the recommended depth (contact OSU Extension office for depth recommendation). Mix the borings together by gently crushing the soil. Discard any roots, stones or any other organic matter; like grass, leaves, worms, etc. Then take a sample of all the mixed borings; about one cup of soil. Place the sample into in a plastic bag zip-lock bag and label it. Lastly, deliver the soil sample to a soil testing service center. Allow up to three weeks for the samples to be processed and results made available.

The soil sample results will make recommendations on how much lime and fertilizer to add. Just remember, lime is typically added in the fall and fertilizer is typical added in the season it is needed.

For more information on having your soil tested, contact the county extension office at 740-992-6696.

*As a reminder, this Wednesday (Oct. 1st), there will be a plant exchange at Dave Diles Park in Middleport, OH presented by the Ohio State University Extension Master Gardeners. If you don’t have any plants to exchange but would like or need some plants, come to the park anyhow. Everyone is invited! Don’t miss your opportunity to add plant diversity to your homestead. The exchange will begin around noon with a presentation on soil pH beginning at 11:30. Also, lunch will be provided by Middleport Community Association and is available on a first come, first serve basis starting at 11:30 am. There will be a small fee for the meals.

For more information about the plant exchange, visit OSU Extension Meigs County Facebook webpage or contact Meigs County OSU Extension office at 740-992-6696.