Testing
The first step in cultivating a living, thriving soil is to determine the soil’s current condition. Modern soil testing is accurate and inexpensive. These test results are the critical starting point to determine an effective treatment plan, which will build living soil. We utilize several different soil testing labs depending on testing needs. The results are typically available within a week of sampling, and this allows us to quickly to customize the most effective treatment plan.
Contact us to schedule a sampling visit and we can begin the process of helping you build a healthy and thriving soil.
There are a variety of tests we have at our disposal:
- The standard test we use for garden soil provides the TCEC (total cation exchange capacity), pH, % organic matter, and available levels of the following elements: Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Sodium, Sulfur, Phosphorus, Iron, Copper, Manganese, Zinc, Boron, and Aluminum as well as base cation saturation.
- The elevated pH Ammonium Acetate extraction test for calcareous soils (excessive Calcium), is used in combination with a standard test to get a more accurate picture of the base cations and their saturation levels.
- A physical test is used to determine the actual structure of the soil and provides the percentages of sand, silt, and clay, etc.
- The saturated paste test is used to determine immediately available levels of nutrients.
