As a general rule of thumb none of these things are really worth the cost. While soil tests are important any test for pH and nutrients is a picture of that soil at one time which could be a guide in correcting problems that might exist if good information is provided and very few of these that I have looked at over the years provide that and cannot provide knowledgeable assessments that your states Ag School might be able to.

AMEN, I bought one & it did not work at all. I have used a multimeter for years, so I am 98% sure it was not me.
The State uses your Tax dollars to pay people to correctly complete these test for you. So even with the ever raising cost of the test, you are getting your tax money to finally work for you.

I wonder where the experts get their soil testers and might they be available at the local hardware store.

What does a soil tester do anyway....it tests for pH, and maybe the level of nitrogen, potassium and phosphurus that makes up the soil and what we usually discuss.
Seems you can buy such testers at the local hardware store for under $

I, myself, think there's a better soil tester that can be relied on to speak well of anyone's soil....plants in the ground and plants in the grounds of your neighbors.
If there is some problem with growing maybe we should look elsewhere other than running off to get the soil tested by a laboratory that gives a lot of confusing figures and don't give directions on how to fix the problem.

Your could check with"Consumer Report" Or "Mother Earth News".
But at the risk of sounding like/ more like a KNOW-IT-ALL.
My wife was a Medical Tech for 12 years, then she worked for a water,soil test lab that worked for contractor & Food plants. She said the machines, that all the pH/soil lab use are precise about the test, because they are like the blood test machines in the hospital. And they all cost thousands of dollars. If you find a good hand tester, that works. PLEASE start a thread & brag about it. We all would like to get one too.

The best and worst soil testing equipment is no better than the methodology used to take and test the sample. Any sample must be representative of the area you are testing. I am not going to go into a treatise on how to sample properly, just emphasize that it must be done properly, otherwise, it is at best a waste of time and effort, at worst it can lead to very misleading results. It's late so I'll end with this, do a search on the web for ag. soil sampling methods, there is a ton of info. on it. With regard to analytical equipment, you get what you pay for. Is the piece of equipment you can afford good enough for what you need, you be the judge?

I'd like to find a portable one, cause I have raised beds that have been filled with different types of soils, different years, and amended with different things at different times.
I might not have enough home made compost to cover all the beds one year, so I'll mix in a bag of manure from HD in one bed, top another in the fall with leaves etc etc.
I'm certain they all have different readings.

I wonder where the experts get their soil testers and might they be available at the local hardware store.

Not likely :-) Soil testing labs are just that - laboratories filled with complex scientific equipment and staffed by scientists with the knowledge to evaluate and analyze the results. Not something you can pick up easily at the local hardware store or garden center!

Home soil testing kits are notoriously inaccurate and most not worth the $$ they cost. pH testing kits are marginally more accurate but only if one follows the directions correctly and if one that uses a solution, distilled water is used to prepare that solution.

A basic soil test is a pretty helpful piece of information to a home gardener and worth the investment. The results are meaningful and I've yet to see a professional lab report NOT provide suggestions for improving the soil based on test results. Many - but not all - extension offices/land grant universities will do soil tests at a very reasonable cost or can direct you to a local lab that provides this service. The cost is comparable to the expense of purchasing a home testing kit unless one is asking for extended testing and will be infinitely more accurate.

Few home gardeners have the skill set to determine just by looking at the plants growing in their gardens if they are lacking in specific nutrients. And just fertilizing for the sake of fertilizing typically results in the over-application of unneeded nutrients that can lead to pollution. The application of any prepared fertilizer should be determined first by need and unless you are a trained horticulturist/agronomist or a very experienced gardener, that can only be accomplished by a professional soil test.

I'm also curious about these devices. I actually have two - one that measures light, pH and moisture and another one that measures fertility and pH.

The light sensor does respond to light - as to how accurate the reading is in terms of unit calibrated on the instrument I have no idea. Also the moisture feature does work as I have pushed the probes into wet as well as dry soil. The pH also sort of works as I have tried dipping the probes into acid solutions like lemon jiuce and it did read a low pH. I've yet to test the fertility feature.

I certainly agree that these cannot be accurate as lab tests but on the other hand I find it hard to believe that they are totally useless. How many on here have actually tested these devices and what methods did you use?

If you are really dying to do the testing yourself, have the aptitude for analytical testing and some money to blow, Hach makes a variety of field kits for agronomic soils testing. I've was trained to use a couple of the Hach kits more than 10 years ago and found them to be very useful. Hach's kits aren't perfect or all encompassing but the methodologies are very reliable, reproducible and accurate. I had already been trained in soils analysis prior to being trained to use the Hach kits so it wasn't a big leap for me; however, for the layman, it could be quite difficult.

Jeez, I have a hard enough time with the Woods End Solvita test and that's just a couple of jars!

;-)

Lloyd

Goren, I agree with you. I don't even have to look to my neighbor's garden. I have two small gardens at our beach house; one on either side of our front porch stairs. The garden to the left gets compost; the one on the right gets very little, because I tend to poop out before I can get to it (we are only down on weekends for now.) Anyway, the difference in the flowers is profound. I couldn't tell you the first thing about its pH, nutrients, etc. I just know what works.
Well, there is one tester I use. My nose. If my compost stinks, I add shredded newspaper. At least it keeps me within my budget of $0.00. ;)