As winter begins to wind down now is the time to consider getting your soil tested for the coming year. A soil analysis is a good management tool because it tells you what your soil may be lacking, saving you money on fertilizer. A soil test however is only as good as the samples that you collect to give to the testing lab. Here are some things to consider with soil sampling:
Soil Sample
The soil sample should be representative of the overall area in question. If you have different pastures with different types of terrain you may want to test these separately. When having different areas to be tested it is best to keep them separated and marked with either the pasture name or location.
To take a good sample you will need a clean bucket, in order to avoid contamination, and collect many sub-samples from around the area you are wanting to be tested. Your sample should be from about 6 inches below the ground level. Avoid collecting samples from high nutrient areas like ditches and feeding areas because they won’t give you an accurate reading of the whole area. Mix all of the sub-samples in the clean bucket, removing any plant material, to get a good overall representation of your pasture. You will need to send in about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of mixed soil for analysis.
Soil Test Results
Once you have submitted your sample for analysis you will get your results back either by mail or email, your choice entirely. Your results will include things like pH, lime, as well as the macro- and micro-nutrient levels found in your soil. These are the nutrients that affect how your plants will grow and how the soil will react with the fertilizer.
What to do next
Once you have your results you can visit with your fertilizer supplier to determine what type to use. This can save you from wasting money on applying products that you simple do not need. Knowing what nutrients your soil needs will also boost your forages production thus decreasing your needs for supplementation. Also a more targeted application can prevent nutrients from leaking out of the soil and into our waterways.
Doing a soil test can be a very effective tool in the producers toolbox, and it is relatively inexpensive. Here in Texas the test only costs between $12 and $32 per sample. And is available at your local extension office. If you are wanting more information you can visit their website here or by going to soiltesting.tamu.edu.
If you would like to know how to continue improving your pasture once things start to get hot you can visit our blog post here
