Table of Content
Soil Savvy could have provided a better explanation of the results, however. I understand what nutrient ratios are, but a newbie gardener might benefit from further explanation of what the numbers mean. Plants need light, oxygen, water, and a growing medium that meets their nutritional needs. Commercial and natural fertilizers can provide essential nutrients that soil may lack. Still, to get the correct type of fertilizer, the gardener should first know the condition of the existing soil. The laboratory analysis provides precise major and minor element levels, the capacity to retain nutrients, ph level, and more.
How do you know what nutrients and fertilizer type that your plants need? The best soil pH test kit will help determine your soil condition, what nutrients is lacking and what you should add to achieve the proper pH levels for your soil. A handy three-way switch allowed me to select the specific test, and the results were all on the same analog gauge. The tester’s large dial face and color-coded scale allowed me to quickly see if the moisture, pH, and light readings were within normal ranges for growing healthy plants.
What to Consider When Choosing the Best Soil Test Kit
Testing for other nutrients may take longer, especially if the soil has to be combined with water and then allowed to settle before performing a chemical test. Light and moisture meters can often determine results in a few minutes. Retesting can be done as often as desired to get an idea of light quality during different times of the day and to see whether moisture evaporates more quickly from soil during higher outdoor temps.
It also takes the guesswork out of matching the results with its easy-to-read digital display. Everything is color-coded–N, P, and K correspond with purple, blue, and orange, respectively, while green is for pH. The lab took a little longer than I’d anticipated to get back to me, but in 11 days, I got an email directing me to log on for my results. I was impressed by the accuracy of the test results—they were right in line with the K-State results, and I also received customized recommendations for amending my soil to make it healthier. The Soil Savvy recommendations were broken down by synthetic and organic fertilizers—telling me exactly how much of each to apply per 1,000 square feet to amend the soil.
SoilKit keeps your lawn and garden healthy
We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Open your image file to the full size using image processing software. First, we gather some information about your growing area such as square footage and location.
Kits with pH strips may expire in a few months, especially if they’re not kept in an airtight container. However, if they’re battery operated, they will require new batteries when the old ones run down. One thing I wish the manufacturer would have included, however, was a moisture-absorbent pack with the strips. The bottle was sealed, but once opened, the strips could have been exposed to humid air which might have reduced their shelf life. Three weeks later, however, the pH pads had all turned brownish, which I suspected was due to moist air getting in the bottle. Best of all, when the soil results from K-State came back, they were very close to the MySoil results, making me feel very comfortable with the quality of the MySoil lab results I received.
The Best Soil Test Kits Tested in 2022
Below the light sensor, you will find a switch between 3 parameters. Moisture is on the left, light is in the middle, and pH is on the right. It is very easy to use, you just need to insect the dual probes of the meter into the soil and choose the parameter you want to measures.
I collected a soil sample, filled one of the four test tubes, and then added filtered water to the tube. I shook the soil and water solution and then inserted a color-coded capsule in the vial and shook again. Once the contents were well mixed, I inserted the vial into the hole at the top of the digital reader and pressed the button corresponding to the test I was conducting.
I received an email 6 days later with the results of the soil tests. I also received a bar chart that allowed me to visually see and compare the results, making them simple to understand. The quickest results come from tests that determine pH and moisture. At-home test kits and instruments can determine these two factors in mere seconds.
Choosing the most accurate test or tester can prove challenging, but look for features such as large, easy-to-read gauges on analog testers and probes that are solidly attached. Chemical kits should offer multiple testing processes for double-checking results, and pH test strips will be most accurate before their expiration date. No matter the individual test kit, gardeners can help avoid mistakes by performing multiple tests in different spots. Soil test kits vary in accuracy, with professional lab tests ranking as the most accurate. For example, plants in the legume family, such as soybeans or clover, can add nitrogen to the soil. Testing garden soil is the best way to determine what it needs—if anything—and how much.
My results are simple to read and tell me exactly which plot needs what products and how much to use. This was a whole lot better experience than using the normal state soil test. I ordered a kit to do my lawn because it’s having problems and I just want it to look as good as my neighbors grass – haha! Collecting dirt and registering the kit have been pretty self-explanatory, so far. My results came way faster than I expected and they make it easy to buy what I need for my yard. Pretty nifty product especially if it works and my neighbor gets jealous.
Soil testers and test kits range from simple pH strips to complex chemicals that pinpoint deficiencies. A variety of soil testing kits are available, but how reliable are they? Home gardeners rely on these kits when deciding whether to amend their soil, so I wanted to ensure the kits provided accurate results. Professional Soil Test Kit includes all you’ll need for convenient and quickly collecting and lab-quality results and it is also the most accurate way to test soil.
The gardener must gather the soil samples, place them in a package, and mail the package to the laboratory. Depending on the speed of the lab, it may take a few days to test the sample and then a few extra days to get the results. Some labs can send results by email, which speeds up the process by a couple of days. This multiple purpose pH meter is not only measure pH level, it also provides moisture and sunlight level. It will let you know when you should water your plant, encourages the growth of healthy plants. There are no batteries needed, so you do not need to worry about replacing batteries.
Then I sent my soil sample to MySoil as well as an additional soil sample to Kansas State University’s agricultural department so I would have a quality comparison. A quality soil test kit will reveal the health of the soil, but are some kits better than others? I tested the most popular kits available to see if they provided quality results—find out which ones fared the best in my hands-on testing. Fast free shipping to get the kit to you and mail in your soil sample to our lab, giving you results and soil balancing instructions right from the comfort of your home in about a week.
Locations where soil tests kits are available:
Also, find out the pros and cons of each product that I discovered during my hands-on tests. The best think you can do is know what kind of soil you are dealing with. I collected the soil as instructed – it is an extremely simple process – and mailed it on the pre-paid envelope. In less than 2 weeks, I had my results online and printable, along with recommendations for amendments.
No comments:
Post a Comment