Soil Testing

This is my first time taking soil samples, a process which,  until now, seemed like a daunting thing. Thought it might help others to see how I did it, and perhaps experts out there can suggest ways for me to improve my sampling method.

I could have used a shovel or garden spade for this instead of a core sample tool, but I do have a thing for tools/gadgets, so I ordered that for this job.

I took about 5 or so samples in each general area - I have very hilly topography, so I focused my samples on the hilltops, the slopes, and on the bottoms, since fertility tends to move downhill.

So, I took 5 samples on the hilltop, mixed them up in the bucket, and filled the sample box to the fill line. Next, the same on the slope, and finally, on the bottom.

It was a nice way to spend a lovely spring evening out in the pasture and hayfield - I took 6 samples total, three from the pasture I am trying to establish, and three from the hayfield that is already established.

I could easily do more - probably another 6 in the hayfield alone, as I did just one section, but I figure this will tell me a lot in general, and I can test more another time - it sure ain’t free!  

Will be very interesting to get the results - I expect I will have a fairly high ph, and will need a lime application.  Would have been better to do in the Fall, but yeah, life.

The picture of the hayfield doesn’t really show the extent of the rolling hills, but some pretty good slopes there.  

So, boxing up the samples was just part of the job. Filling out the forms was another whole thing.

They want a lot of information, ranging from the soil classification to type of crop to be raised to last lime application and tons per acre applied.

Was interesting to look at the soil classification maps to determine soil types - definitely a fascinating rabbit hole to dive down on a rainy afternoon!  

The site is here: https://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/soils/survey/

Anyway, form filled in, now all I need to do is mail them in, and should have results back in about 3 days.

I found the process to be a bit of a chore, but the information is fantastic, and you don't have to do it every year. It is completely worth it to do it at least once.  I had some trees bloom and fruit that never did before, once I added the minerals that were lacking.   I find it very useful to ask others in your area what the typical soil in your area is like.  For example, in my area, we typically have poorly draining clay, with a lack of calcium, boron, and zinc, and that's what I got.  It is crucial to have enough organic matter in your soil before you add the minerals, because otherwise, they will just flow through your soil and into the water table.  Great thread/topic, Artie.
John S
PDX OR

Artie I think you've done a fine job taking random samples and mixing them into one to send to the lab! Good job! I can't wait to see the results.

Artie Scott wrote:
I could have used a shovel or garden spade for this instead of a core sample tool, but I do have a thing for tools/gadgets, so I ordered that for this job.

I used to use a shovel, dig a hole, scrape a 6 inch deep slice off a side, refill hole, and repeat to get my soil samples. Then I bought the same tool you have pictured, and it reduced my sample collecting time by more than half, and now it's so easy to go out and spend some nice time outside quickly and easily gathering samples instead of spending half a day or more and breaking a sweat. Sometimes there's just a right tool for the job and I think a soil sampling tool is one of those things.

That looks like some great deep topsoil Artie!

Envious of the topsoil. I’ve been at it for 3 years and have so little topsoil I can measure it in mm.

I would love to say that is the depth of my topsoil everywhere, but sadly, I cannot!  Some parts of the hayfield are like that, but others not. And the pasture I am trying to establish, even after a couple days of rain, I could barely get a sample at all in some places.

I was listening to a biodynamic podcast the other day.  The guy was saying that the best soil doesn't only come from pasture. It also doesn't come just from a forest.  He was saying that it comes from the interaction of pasture and wooded areas.  It sounds like that was maybe one of Steiner's original ideas, but it kind of makes sense.  In a healthy meadow or pasture, there aren't a lot of trees.  Some of the Great Plains meadow soils with native grasses had very deep soils.  There isn't enough rain to really generate a forest, so nature adapted to build its strength beneath the soil surface. Prairie dogs, snakes, ground squirrels, etc.  We've mostly lost that now, due to extractive synthetic farming techniques, but we don't need to stay in that format.

It also makes me think of the alley cropping techniques that Mark Shepard has come up with in Wisconsin.  The deep roots of the trees are bringing in one type of nutrition and soil ecosystem, and the alley/meadow is bringing in another.  More edge. More dynamic. More life.

John S
PDX OR