Home soil tests good?

[Hayron1088]

I’m noticing that some of the local nurseries have a home soil test that can test NPK and ph. You can get them on Amazon for $30 also. Are they any good? I know you can spend about $60 and send a sample off to have it extensively tested but for $30 to test the general NPK and PH values would be sufficient for me making my own soil as I source my ingredients from my own property. Thanks in advance

 

[SmokingWings]

It has been a long, long time since I have used one of the home soil test kits available in neighborhood gardening and grow shops.My thoughts are that they are OK but a bit overpriced for what the customer gets.

The home tests will give the gardener a general idea of what the macro nutrient levels are for the soil. That can help those who are starting a new garden and just want the basic info. It is kind of hard to believe that the pH test is going to be any more accurate than saying that the soil sample is acidic or alkaline (sometimes called sweet soil). When it comes to the pH there seems to be so much that has to be done exactly right before the test results can show any details. I don't want to go as far as saying the home kit pH test is worthless but I would be leery if I had to depend on it for changing the pH of my garden soil.

The tests that involved sending off a sample were much more detailed. We got back not only the NPK numbers but info on how much of various fertilizers to add to get the number up to where it should be. If the level was already higher than is considered optimum they included suggestions on how to reduce the levels. Bonus was the pricey test included results for some of the secondary and micro nutrients and just as important the results for percentages for both the organic material and the mineral base in the sample.

The few mail in tests I had done involved buying the envelopes and instructions from a local garden supply store so it was pre-pay. The results came back several weeks later. Those test were conducted by the County Co-Operative Extension Service. Each state in the US has a such a co-operative service and often they are part of the state's university that handles agriculture and animal research. Maybe do a search on the internet to find the address and phone number and contact the service directly to find out what is currently being covered by the state's test.

Plus each county should have an office for the Extension Service, usually in the county seat.

 

[seaofgreen18]

I’m noticing that some of the local nurseries have a home soil test that can test NPK and ph. You can get them on Amazon for $30 also. Are they any good? I know you can spend about $60 and send a sample off to have it extensively tested but for $30 to test the general NPK and PH values would be sufficient for me making my own soil as I source my ingredients from my own property. Thanks in advance

Howdy if you take some time you could learn how you can do your own test at home with a microscope more sustainable I think that's what I'm doing here in the future.But I think the tests they offer are like $30 I think are pretty dependable depending on who makes the test I would guess I haven't tried one myself but I was gonna order 1 from KIS organics they are my go to for everything organic they have some AWSUM pod casts on YouTube

 

[Hayron1088]

It has been a long, long time since I have used one of the home soil test kits available in neighborhood gardening and grow shops.My thoughts are that they are OK but a bit overpriced for what the customer gets.

The home tests will give the gardener a general idea of what the macro nutrient levels are for the soil. That can help those who are starting a new garden and just want the basic info. It is kind of hard to believe that the pH test is going to be any more accurate than saying that the soil sample is acidic or alkaline (sometimes called sweet soil). When it comes to the pH there seems to be so much that has to be done exactly right before the test results can show any details. I don't want to go as far as saying the home kit pH test is worthless but I would be leery if I had to depend on it for changing the pH of my garden soil.

The tests that involved sending off a sample were much more detailed. We got back not only the NPK numbers but info on how much of various fertilizers to add to get the number up to where it should be. If the level was already higher than is considered optimum they included suggestions on how to reduce the levels. Bonus was the pricey test included results for some of the secondary and micro nutrients and just as important the results for percentages for both the organic material and the mineral base in the sample.

The few mail in tests I had done involved buying the envelopes and instructions from a local garden supply store so it was pre-pay. The results came back several weeks later. Those test were conducted by the County Co-Operative Extension Service. Each state in the US has a such a co-operative service and often they are part of the state's university that handles agriculture and animal research. Maybe do a search on the internet to find the address and phone number and contact the service directly to find out what is currently being covered by the state's test.

Plus each county should have an office for the Extension Service, usually in the county seat.

I appreciate the in depth reply. I think the $60 send in test would be what I truly need then. Everything I need to make my mix can be easily sourced by me for free so I would like to dial it in for obvious reasons. Thank you again for the info.

 

[Hayron1088]

Howdy if you take some time you could learn how you can do your own test at home with a microscope more sustainable I think that's what I'm doing here in the future.But I think the tests they offer are like $30 I think are pretty dependable depending on who makes the test I would guess I haven't tried one myself but I was gonna order 1 from KIS organics they are my go to for everything organic they have some AWSUM pod casts on YouTube

Microscope? Can you elaborate on that because I own a microscope also…

 

[SmokingWings]

I appreciate the in depth reply. I think the $60 send in test would be what I truly need then. Everything I need to make my mix can be easily sourced by me for free so I would like to dial it in for obvious reasons. Thank you again for the info.

Before dropping the money you can call whoever is going to do the test to verify that they are going to be hitting all the important points. Or, if in the US, contact the County Co-operative Extension Service and see if they are doing the testing, get pricing and find out if there are other options.

 

[Hayron1088]

Before dropping the money you can call whoever is going to do the test to verify that they are going to be hitting all the important points. Or, if in the US, contact the County Co-operative Extension Service and see if they are doing the testing, get pricing and find out if there are other options.

I’m going to be sending it off very soon so I’ll update you all as soon as I do.