Soils - Sampling and Testing
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  (January) We have a large garden for vegetables as well as several flower gardens. We would like to have our soil tested to see if we should add anything prior to the springtime plantings. Is there a specific amount of soil needed to be submitted for testing? Should several samples be blended together before testing, or should separate samples from different areas be submitted?

  You need a pint of soil for each area you want tested. If you basically treat the entire vegetable garden the same, then only one sample is needed in the vegetable garden, and a separate sample from the flower bed. If you have a problem area, you may want to test it separately. For each sample you are testing, take soil from several areas, trying to get a good profile-(from the top down 6 inches). Mix this together in a bucket and take a pint for each one -- labeling them in a way that you will know what they are when they come back -- not just 1, 2, 3, unless you know which is which. Take your samples to your local county extension office. They will fill out a brief information sheet and send that and your soil to the soil testing lab in Marianna. You should have a computer print out back within two weeks.

  (April) Am I correct in that your office does free soil testing for residential home owners? I am needing help in finding the right combination of "stuff" to help my front yard look good for once. If the Cooperative Extension Service does the testing, what kind of samples do you need, and what containers should I place them in?

  Soil sampling is paid for by a surcharge on the sale of fertilizer in the state, but you do not pay to have your samples tested when you take them in.. Take a pint of soil from each area you want tested -- i.e., lawn, flower bed, vegetable garden, etc. One sample for each should suffice, unless you have a problem area. Take the samples to your county extension office. You should have results back in around two weeks. To take a sample, go 5 to 10 places in your lawn area, and then take a slice of soil roughly 6 inches deep (if possible). Mix them all together and take a pint to the county office -- it can be in a plastic bag, paper sack or any pint sized container. Some people like to take many samples from their lawn, but mixing them together should give you a good idea of what you have, and you will more than likely treat the entire area the same.

  (September) I recently read an article advising people to have a soil test done before applying fertilizer or lime. We built a home in Little Rock a couple of years ago, and they hauled in all the topsoil and sodded the yard with Bermuda grass. I would like to have some soil samples analyzed but don't know the procedure. Do I just take a cross-section of samples, put them in separate sacks and bring them to your office or is there a different procedure?

  To take a soil sample, take a core of soil from 6 to 10 places throughout the lawn area. Mix it all together in a bucket, and take one pint of soil to your local county extension office (in Pulaski County that is 2901 W. Roosevelt). You would not want to take in separate samples of the yard, since you will want to fertilize the entire yard at one time, versus fertilizing each quadrant differently. By doing a mix, you should have a good cross section of what the entire yard needs. Fertilization should be completed for this growing season, but fall is the ideal time to apply lime, if the soil test calls for it.

  You frequently mention having your soil tested through your county extension office. What size sample do you need, and how long will it take to get the test back?

  For an average yard or garden, try to get a slice of soil from six to ten different places in your yard, mix it together, and then take one pint of soil to your local county extension office. The sample needs to be relatively dry, since they are shipped in cardboard boxes. Allow ten days to two weeks to get your results back, but timing can delay things. Spring is when thousands of samples arrive in county offices, so there may be a slight delay. Your county office will ask a few questions about what crops (vegetables, flowers, lawn, etc) you are growing. Then a computer print out will be mailed to you with a recommendation for fertilization and liming.

  I recently had my soil tested and I needed 120 pounds of lime per 1000 square feet. I have purchased the lime, but am uncertain as to how much to apply at one time. Am I supposed to apply all of it at once, or do it in specific increments? Some of the ground has grass growing on it, and other areas are bare and in need of new grass. Is there a difference in how it is applied?

  Whenever there are large amounts of lime needed, it is best to divide up the application into halves or thirds. If you apply all 120 pounds at once, it will look like it has snowed. Where you have grass growing, apply it and allow it to work itself in, before you apply more. In the bare areas, you could apply the full rate and then till it into the soil, which will help adjust the pH more quickly anyway.

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