Regular Soil
Analysis Is Critical
To All Homeowners
Many experts recommend that
you sample your soil every year.
However, for most homeowners a
soil analysis every two to three ye'ars
is sufficient. The cost of a soil
analysis is free to all North Car
olinians, and now is a good time to
soil sample!
Soil icMing can save you iimc and
money. There is no need to apply
fertilizer when the plant cannot use
it or sufficient quantities already ex
ist in the soil for plant growth. Soil
testing is the intelligent, environ
mentally sound approach to garden
ing in the 90s. Time spent soil sam
pling will be repaid many times over
in healthier plants, less pest prob
lems and fewer weeds. A soil test is
the best way to determine the health
of your soil.
The autumn and winter are good
times to sample your garden and
lawn. Sampling technique is critical
in order to gain a valid picture of
soil fertility. Define each area that
you will be sampling. For example,
the average home gardener should
take a separate sample for the front
y*rd, rear yard, vegetable garden,
rose garden, perennial flower beds,
shrub beds, etc...
The objective of soil sampling is
to provide a soil sample that will be
representative of all the cultivated
soil on the site. Soil type in many t
residential areas is highly variable,
so the more subsamples collected!
the better the sample. Use a soil
probe or small spade to collect the
top four inches of soil in established
turf gardens.
Collect subsamples in 10 to 12 lo
cations in the site and mix these sub
samples together in a plastic bucket.
Use a clean plastic bucket; metal or
chemically contaminated buckets can
give false results on the soil analysis.
After all subsamples have been
collected and thoroughly /nixed in
the plastic bucket, place at least one
i(C?i>iug cupful of the sci! is 2 M5>
pie box. Soil sample boxes can be
obtained from your local county
Cooperative Extension Service of
fice. Follow instructions on the box
and fill in the adjoining information
sheet, then return filled sample box
es to your county extension office.
Several weeks after turning in
your soil samples, you will reccive a
computer-generated N.C.
Department of Agriculture Soil Test
Report This report can be quite in
timidating to the uninformed For
beginners, zero in on the soil pH and
the "Suggested Treatment for the
First Crop."
The pH is the measure of soil re
action. If the pH is not correct for
plant growth, then the fertilizer you
apply to the soil is wasted. The pH
will determine the ability of the soil
to make nutrients available for plant
growth.
Plants cannot extract nutrients
from soil that is too acid or too alka
line. Unless the pH is adjusted to the
correct level, adding extra fertilizer
or other amendments is a waste of
time. Soil pH is adjusted with either
limestone or sulfur. Limestone neu
tralizes acid soil. Sulfur acidifies al
kaline soil.
Use powdered dolomitic agricul
tural limestone for adjusting pH of
new ground or when tilling old plant
debris into the ground. Either pel
letized or powdered lime is fine for
applying to the surface of estab
lished lawns or gardens. Most soils
in the Cape Fear region arc very
acidic due to the leaching effect of
50-plus inches of annual rainfall.
Some sandy soils can acidify quick
ly by dropping by as much as 0.5 pH
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Extreme care should be used if
applying sulfur to acidify a soil,
since sulfur has other side effects on
the soil in addition to acidification.
Sulfur is converted to sulfuric acid
in the soil and tends to strip away
many nutrients from the soil parti
cles. Excessive or improper suifui
application often leads to all sorts of
trace element deficiencies in plant
growth.
The soil test may also recommend
fertilizer nutrients. Numbers on the
fertilizer bag represent the percent ni
trogen, phosphorus and potassium
contained in the fertilizer. A hundred
pound bag of 8-10-12 fertilizer con
tains 8 pounds of nitrogen, 10 pounds
of phosphorus equivalent, and 12
pounds of potassium equivalent
You c<iii auilcvc the iccv~m.:^d:d
level of fertility in many different
ways. For example, the soil analysis
may recommend 1 .6 pounds of nitro
gen and 4.8 pounds of potassium or
20 pounds of 8-0-24 fertilizer per
1,000 square feet of garden or lawn.
You can reach the recommended soil
fertility by applying 20 pounds of 8
0-24 per 1,000 square feet or 32
pounds of 5-0-15 or 16 pounds of 10
0-30 or 22 pounds of 0-0-22 mixed
with 5 pounds of 33-0-0. If you have
nuAciianc rh**rlf with vntir mnntv
i ""' ? - j ? j
extension agent or a reputable gar
den/farm center since most fertilizer
dealers can easily calculate the most
economical fertilizer blend to satisfy
your soil test recommendations.
Fertilizer should be applied to the
soil either prior to or during periods
of active growth depending upon the
crop. For additional information on
proper limestone or fertilizer use, re
quest "Soil Fads: Soil Acidity and
Proper Lime Use-AG327(I7)" from
your county office or hv
sending me a SASE.
Send your gardening questions
and comments to the Plant Doctor,
P.O. Box 109, Bolivia NC 28422.
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