Tuesday, July 9, 2019

For Good Soil Testing California Offers A Recommendable Destination

By Helen King


Soil tests provide the most reliable information for many applications such as fertilizer recommendations. The best way to maximize productivity and maintain proper plant health is by having soils tested. Land that is used for vegetable gardens, fruit crops, lawns, and even landscaping needs to be tested. The tests provide one with the information they need in order to be able to pinpoint plant nutrient requirements and apply the right amount of fertilizer. When one needs Soil Testing California offers the perfect location to visit.

Crops to be planted can be easily selected if one understands the soil structures and nutrients in various parts of a piece of land. Understanding the nutrient content in various parts helps one to plant the right crops in the right places. These tests can also help in diagnosing what occurred in case crop performance deteriorates without any apparent cause.

There are many laboratories in the US where one can take samples of soils from their land to have analyzed. It takes a few days for the analysis to be completed. When the results come back, they contain the kind of information that one needs to be able to undertake corrective measures that the land needs. For example, one is provided with recommendation on what fertilizers and additives they need to buy to achieve more crop productivity and lawn performance.

There are several pieces of information that are contained in a standard test. These include cation exchange capacity, base saturation, lime requirement index, and soil pH among others. The status of the most important minerals to the growth of plants will also be provided. These minerals are magnesium, calcium, potassium, and phosphorus. If one pays an additional fee, the test can also provide information on copper, zinc, manganese, iron, nitrates, texture, organic matter, and soluble salts.

The test is made crucial by many factors. The first reason why the tests are important is that one is able to maintain the right level of fertility of their land. As plants grow, the fertility and quantity of nutrients available in the soil vary. Nutrient availability is also affected by factors such as addition of mulch, sulfur, manure, lime, fertilizers, and compost. Nutrients are also lost into the ground through leaching.

One is guided on actions to take based on the tests. There is no specific time of the year that is most suitable for the test to be done. However, people are advised to have soils tested before they plant crops or lawns as opposed to after planting. One has enough time to analyze the results and take appropriate corrective measures if the test is done long before the planting season.

Some corrective measures work best when they are conducted at a given time of the year. For example, application of lime to raise pH value works best when done in fall. Reducing pH value by applying sulfur on the other hand works best n spring.

It is advisable to have the soils tested after every 2 years. However, the testing can be done more frequently in order to maintain closer control on the fertility of the land. It is also important to have the testing done in a recognized laboratory that has professional equipment, following accredited procedures.




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