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Soil test results

19 years ago

I amended a 100 sqft bed for tomatoes this spring, adding cotton burr compost, manure, alfalfa and humates, plus some coffee grounds from starbucks. Had a decent crop of tomatoes and recently sent in a soil sample to be tested. I am shocked at the high levels, especially phosphorous. Is it possible the test isnt accurate due to a poor sample that included too many organics? I basically just knocked off the top couple inches of soil in several areas, then took an inch or two of soil with a small spade from each of those areas, mixed it all together and sent in the sample.Any thoughts?

Analysis results CL* Units

Ph 7.3 (6.50) - slightly alkaline

Conductivity 518 (-) umho/cm slight

Nitrate-N 38 (-) ppm moderate

Phosphorous 656 (50) ppm very high

potassium 1693 (175) ppm very high

calcium 5976 (180) ppm high

Magnesium 852 (50) ppm very high

sulfur 82 (13) ppm very high

sodium 417 (-) ppm moderate

Iron 11.79 (4.25) ppm high

zinc 14.04 (0.27) ppm very high

manganese 6.64 (1.00) ppm high

copper 0.82 (0.16) ppm high

Limestone requirement 0.00 lbs/1000sqft

*CL= critical level is the point which no additional (excluding nitrate-N, sodium and conductivity) is recommended

Nitrogen - Apply and additional 1lb N/100 sqft every 4-6 weeks, as needed, to maintain vegetative growth

Phosphorous - Phoshorous is highly elevated, avoid phosphorous containing fertilizers and organics for the next 5 yrs, retest annually

Comments (7)

  • 19 years ago

    Organic matter is a very good source of phosphorus, which is why good, reliable soil tests are needed when you add organic matter and think you may need to add some source of phosphate. You most likely will not. Manure is also a good source of phosphorus, so if you have ample levels of organic matter a good, reliable soil test may be something that needs to be done before adding that, too.
    As you can see it is quite easy to get an imbalance of soil nutrients which is what can cause plants to be more atractive to insect pests. While a soil may appear to be "good and healthy" to the eye only a good, reliable soil test will actually tell you what those levels are.

  • 19 years ago

    I am hoping that the sample I sent wasnt a good representative of my soil, as I may not have collected it properly. I plan to send another sample in the next few weeks and hopefully get better test results. But in the event the results are similar, what can I do to change it?

  • 19 years ago

    The directions for sampling soil are pretty similar no matter which lab does the testing and that usually includes sampling the top 6 inches of soil with no gross (large) organic matter or stones included. It is thought that some of the less expensive garden trowels might allow some of the finish into the soil sample which could affect the results, so you may want to look at what you use to take those samples.
    If the sample is sent to a good lab there will be recommendations of what to do, if anything, to correct the soil for what you want to grow.

  • 19 years ago

    My test showed phosphorus and potassium both four times the minimum suggested. When I asked about it he said that was not unusual. My nitrogen was also low, also a normal condition due to nitrogens leaching ability. The suggestion that regular additions of nitrogen would benefit vegetative growth, I think is universal. Al

  • 19 years ago

    adding nitrogen to aid vegetative growth was the recommendation that I got, along with not adding phosphorous for 5 yrs

  • 19 years ago

    Almost every soil test that I have seen in the last 25 years has had a recommendation for adding some N even though no test for N is done. Mostly this is for around 2 pounds of Nitrogen per 1,000 square feet, a really negligable amount. Nitrogen availability is very dependant on soil temperature which should indicate that the soil bacteria are the ones that are working to make that N available, because, to a point, the warmer the soil is the more active the soil bacteria will be.

  • 19 years ago

    Twice a year, spring and fall I add compost to my soil surface. Nothing else is added but my own well water as needed. I have not had another soil test in 15 years. I am well satisfied with my plants growth and would not change a thing. Al