Soil Ph & Moisture Meter 295mm Long Electrode
Likes:
- Longer, more slender 295mm electrode for deeper soil penetration
- Self-powered , reliable, and accurate
- Metal probe/electrode is waterproof and has passed strict safety and quality standards
Dislikes:
- is a little too long and soil must be very wet for pH to respond
- Meter tends to give random results, necessitating 3-4 measurements for each plant
This quality dual soil pH and moisture meter provides simple, accurate checking of soil moisture level and pH balance . Its extra long probe allows users to measure significantly below a plants root zone. This meter is perfect for commercial use and home use .
This product includes 1 moisture and soil pH meter and 1 instruction manual. It works as advertised, gives accurate pH level readings, and is good for either commercial or home use.
Luster Leaf 1847 Rapitest Digital Plus Soil Ph Meter
- User-friendly manual.
When last did you test the soil on your lawn?
If you answered never to this question, you really should do it soon! Testing your lawn will ensure that its got all the correct nutrients it requires to be healthy and grow beautifully green.
What are the nutrients that grass needs to grow?
Some of the most powerful nutrients that you should feed your grass include phosphorous, nitrogen, and potassium.
If you want to test your soil, you should purchase the best soil test kit for your lawn. GreenIQ breaks down five of the most effective kits to use to get greener, more beautiful grass.
Later on in this article, weve also got all the information you need to know about testing your soil.
When Should You Test Soil For Your Lawn
There are some important tips to follow when testing the soil to grow a healthy lawn. This will ensure gardening success. Heres what to know.
The best time to do a soil test is during the fall if you have an established site where you want to grow a lawn. If you have a new site, you can take soil samples at any time when the soil is workable. If you test your soil during the season of fall, this will ensure you have enough time in which to apply lime to increase the soil pH if youre dealing with a low pH.
On the other hand, you should apply sulfur in the early spring to give your soil enough time to become healthier.
While its important to test your soil, you dont have to do it very regularly. Ideally, you should test your soil every two to three years. If youre dealing with sandy soils, such as because you have high levels of rainfall and irrigation in your region, you should commit to taking soil samples every year.
Purchasing a soil testing kit is great because you wont have to use it very regularly, which makes it more affordable. However, always check the expiry dates on the soil test kits for gardening so that you dont accidentally allow them to expire before you can put them to good use!
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Soil Sampling For Gardens Fields & Lawns
Test your soil so you will know what it needs. Soil testing is free and easy. Come by our office to pick up a soil kit . Collect the soil samples, package them in the kit, and send it off to Raleigh. The Argonomic Division analyzes soil for its nutrient content and for properties that affect plant growth.
Soil testing fosters plant growth by providing optimal lime and fertilizer recommendations, diagnoses common nutrient deficiencies or toxicities, and promotes environmental quality. When following recommended guidelines for fertilization, nutrient runoff into surface or ground water is minimized, money is saved and natural resources are conserved.
Collect soil samples several months before initiating any new landscaping – whether it be laying sod, starting a vegetable garden, planting trees/shrubs, or putting in a flower bed.
How Do I Collect Samples
To have your soil tested, collect samples from different areas of your yard. You will need to randomly collect several samples from each section of your yard where you are growing something different for example, collect several random samples from your lawn, several samples from your vegetable garden, etc.
Collect several random samples from each area of your yard where different types of plants are growing.
Samples should be collected with a stainless steel trowel and need to be taken around 6 deep. For each sample you submit , aim to collect a total of about a cup and a half of soil when the random samples are mixed together. If there are areas in your yard where plants are not growing well be sure to sample them separately to find out if the problem is nutrient or pH-related.
Detailed instructions on how to collect and submit soil samples are provided in a presentation from NCDA& CS and in this brochure. For a demonstration on collecting soil samples, see this video from NC State Extension.
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When Should You Test
It is a good idea to sample a lawn or turf area in the spring or early fall, says Friedericks. This will allow time to make the fertilizer and lime applications either in the spring as needed or to use the results from the fall sample to plan for the year ahead.
- Chill out. Follow the recommendations from the soil pH testing report, but be patient. It could take a year or more to see the results of a lime application, for instance.
- Split the application. Spread the recommended application into two or three applications over a couple of months. Water the lime into the soil.
- Season accordingly. Also split nitrogen applications over the spring and summer to avoid leaching loss and to keep the grass healthy. Apply phosphorus in the spring to help establish a strong well-rooted plant. Applying some of the potassium in the fall can also help the grass create a good store of energy in the roots to improve overwintering.
- Its a do-over. Keep on top of any problems after the initial test. Experts recommend that you take a soil sample and test soil pH every three to four years.
- Dont soak the samples. Dig your soil samples when it is neither too wet nor too dry, so you get a representative sample.
What Is A Soil Test Kit
A soil test kit measures the nutrient content of your soil. They come in many forms, including digital gadgets, test strips, send-away services and more, and can be an effective tool to help ensure gardening success.
Home soil test kits guide gardeners to the right types and quantities of fertilizers to optimize specific plant growth by revealing pH, which indicates acidity or alkalinity. The tests also reveal key potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus levels, and can identify soil contaminants, too.
While do-it-yourself kits may lack the precise results and follow-up information provided by professional soil-testing services, theyre a great way to identify challenges and start your soil in the right direction.
Read on to learn about seven of our favorite home soil test kits.
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How To Collect A Soil Sample
University of Minnesota Extension
If your lawn has areas that range over various types of terrain , you should request a separate sampling kit for each area. Otherwise, the lab may recommend doses of fertilizer or soil amendments suitable for one area but not for another.
Test results will tell you what you need to add to your soil. If you have an acceptable lawn but are looking to improve it, you may spread the recommended materials over the lawn surface. If your lawn requires restoration, you should aerate the turf with a core cultivator after you have applied the amendments to the surface.
Soil Tests That Indicate Nutrient Levels
More complicated tests also assess your yards nutrient levels, which usually include the big three: nitrogen, phosphorous, or potassium.
But the reality is that nitrogen levels can fluctuate very widely. As a result, some tests wont include that number in the results. Its an essential nutrient, however, and is one of the key nutrients that makes your grass green.
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Integrate Soil Foods In Your Lawn Feeding Program
Using Jonathan Greens natural soil amendments offers a variety of benefits, such as: improved disease and insect resistance, better heat tolerance, and, most importantly, a biologically active soil.
Jonathan Green Mag-I-Cal® Plus is a natural, humate-rich, three-in-one soil food that will loosen hard soil, stimulate soil microbes, and adjust soil pH. It breaks up compacted soil for better air, water, nutrient, and root penetration. It is available for acidic soil or alkaline soil. Plan to use it every season to keep your soil biology and chemistry balanced.
For very compacted soil, Jonathan Green Love Your Soil® will loosen and aerate it organically. It will also feed the soil microbes, making the soil more alive and porous, enhance root development, and contains about 25% more soil loosening power than MAG-I-CAL® Plus.
For more help with soil pH and the best test kit for lawns, visit Jonathan Green online or visit your nearest independent retail store for advice. Our goal is to help you grow a stronger, more vigorous lawn.
When Will I Receive The Results
You will receive an email within 10 days after your sample is received at the MSU Soil Nutrient and Plant Lab letting you know your results are available at this website. A link directly to your report will be provided in the email and text message, or you can use the unique Report Code that is also sent.
If you submit your sample without an email address, it will take slightly longer for you to receive your results in the mail.
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How To Determine The Best Soil Test Kit To Buy
People that are searching for soil test kits should keep in mind a number of options:
The Limitations Of Soil Tests Not Done In A Lab
Its important to keep in mind that DIY or home soil tests have their limitations. You can get a highly accurate pH level reading, but home tests dont include the buffer pH as those can only be determined in a laboratory.
The buffer pH level tells you how the soil reacts to additives. For example, whether your soil is heavy clay or sandy, and how much of the additive is necessary to change the levels revealed in your test.
The buffer pH test involves adding additives into the test soil and measuring how it responds. Sandy soil, which tends to be more acidic, requires less lime to lower its pH, whereas clay soil requires more lime to achieve the same effect.
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What Does It Test
Its important to know the pH of your soil, as if its too acidic or alkaline, it could damage your plants. All the kits weve looked at here will test for it. Along with pH, you may want to know that nutrients are within the soil.
The most important are the macronutrients like nitrogen , phosphorous , and potassium , and they are vital for plant growth. The Luster Leaf 1601 Rapitest Test Kit is great for measuring all of the above and gives you vital information.
If you want to test the micronutrients such as calcium, magnesium, and zinc, youll probably need a kit that you can send away, such as with the MySoil Soil Test Kit. This will give you a full breakdown of everything within your soil.
Soil Testing For Home Lawns And Gardens
- Joseph Heckman, Extension Specialist in Soil Fertility
Soil testing can provide information about how to enhance the beauty and productivity of a lawn, landscape planting, or vegetable garden. Whether your goal is a plush, green lawn or a large harvest of vegetables, soil fertility testing is the place to start. It helps by determining a soil’s need for lime and fertilizer. Regular soil tests are also a part of a sound environmental management plan for your home and garden. Proper soil and fertility management will reduce the potential for water contamination from fertilizers. By knowing the plant nutrition needs of your lawn and gardens, you can prevent the overapplication of fertilizers, which may result in excess nutrients reaching streams or groundwater.
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Get A Custom Lawn Plan In The Yard Mastery App With The Purchase Of A Soil Test
Note: The probe is an optional add-on and measures at 4 W X 8.25 L, with 1/2 inch diameter.
There are four options for you to select from for this item:
One Pack without Probe: 1 Yard Mastery Soil Testing Kit
Two Pack without Probe: 2 Yard Mastery Soil Testing Kits
Starter Pack with Probe: The Yard Mastery Starter Pack comes with Yard Mastery Soil Test Kit and stainless steel Yard Mastery soil probe.Pro Pack with Probe: The Yard Mastery Pro Pack comes with Yard Mastery Soil Test Kits and stainless steel Yard Mastery soil probe.
After your kit has been analyzed, you will be able to view the results in the same location you registered it.
How Do I Lower The Ph In My Lawn Soil
If you need to lower the pH of your lawn soil, in other words, your soil is alkaline, you should do this by sprinkling granular sulfur all over your lawn. If you want to lower the pH level by just one point, then using a garden spreader to sprinkle sulfur all over the grass is ideal. After you have sprinkled the sulfur over your lawn, you will have to wait for three months before retesting the soil. If at this time, the soil pH is still low, you will have to reapply the sulfur.
Note that you should apply sulfur to the soil before you plant or install new grass. It takes a few months for the sulfur to break down so that the grass can pick it up properly, and this is why its advisable to apply it to your soil well in advance of planting the grass.
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What Is The Perfect Lawn Ph For Green Grass
If you want to grow healthy, luscious green grass on your lawn, you will have to ensure that the soil has the correct pH level.
This is essential because if the pH level is too low or too high, you will have issues. If youre dealing with low pH in your soil, this means your grass wont be able to absorb enough of the nutrients that it requires. Your lawn will look yellow because the soil will be too acidic. By comparison, if the soil has a high pH, this means its too alkaline. You will see that the grass isnt growing as it should because its growth will be stunted.
The ideal pH level of your soil should be between 6.5 and 7.0, so its slightly acidic but not too much. This will ensure that the grass can properly absorb the nutrients that it needs from the soil. To lower the pH, usually sulfur is added to the soil. To increase the pH, lime is usually added.
Conducting a soil test is therefore essential so that you know exactly what you should do to improve the quality of your soil. This will ensure that its healthy and nutritious so that grass can grow.
What Are The Best Soil Test Kits & Meters Reviews & Buyers Guide
Testing your soil is a very important contribution to the health of your plants.
Plants require the right pH level in order to best utilize all the nutrients in the soil. Every plant has a different pH preference which is an important fact for all growers to know. Plants also need nitrogen, potash, and phosphorus, in addition to other balanced chemicals. Nitrogen is primarily responsible for the nutrition of plants. It helps to produce green leaves and healthy leaf growth.
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Why Should You Test Your Soil
All plants require the right nutrients to grow. These nutrients include potash, phosphorus, and nitrogen , which play a similar role in the growth of plants as protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, and minerals do in human health.
We recommend testing your soil regularly all through the growing season, and particularly before you plant in Springtime, and when youre preparing beds in the Fall.Houseplants are generally happiest with slightly acidic soil . Highly alkaline soil will stunt plant growth and cause leaf color to fade. Soil that is too acidic causes leaf droppage and wilt.