mercredi 16 mai 2018

For Good Soil Testing Ventura County Offers A Recommendable Destination

By Thomas Clark


The first step to achieving a healthy lawn is to have the soil tested for fertility and other properties. Soil testing refers to a single or a series of tests conducted on a sample with the intention of determining its properties. The test may aim at determining only a single aspect of the sample such as pH level or it may target to establish various qualities. In the latter case, multiple tests are conducted on a sample. When in search of Soil Testing Ventura County should be given priority.

Determining the chemical, physical, and/or biological properties is the reason why samples are tested. Through chemical examination, presence or absence of plant nutrients is established. Such nutrients include lime, potassium, humus content, nitrogen, pH level, and phosphorus. Total sulphur, organic matter, trace elements, total CaCO3 are also other components measured. Physical properties of soils include permeability, density, and capacity and these too are focus of the analysis.

The process of analyzing soil involves several steps, beginning with sample collection. The collected samples are then submitted to the offices of local cooperative extension to be analyzed. A person can also submit the samples to independent labs or some garden centers. The process is cheap going for about 10 dollars per sample. The results take a few days to be delivered.

Taking a sample from the field should be done using a shovel, sampling tube, and a pint. One should dig a hole to a depth of 4 to 6 inches and collect the sample using a sampling tube. Between 5 and 6 samples should be collected around the plot. There are several ways to collect samples. One may follow two lines each on either side of the plot or move in a zigzag direction.

Samples must be free of debris including grass and thatch. The samples are then to be thoroughly combined preferably in a plastic bucket. Form here, one must proceed to obtain one pint from the mixed samples. The obtained pint of soil must be placed against a flat surface and dried in the sun. To remove moisture from the sample other means of air drying may be used.

Laboratories prefer dry samples and that is the purpose of air drying. Besides, additional microorganism activity that can alter sample properties is eliminated through air drying. Without air drying, test outcomes emerging from those samples may fail to represent the exact soil conditions in the field. Microorganism activity in the sample may also be brought to halt through freezing.

One must then label correctly the collected pint of soil before delivering it to the lab. The labeling can be done using the name of the sender. After this, the next step is sending the sample for analysis. The waiting period is a few days after which a detailed analysis together with the results is send to a person.

Based on the results of the analysis, one can know the kind of fertilizer they need to apply in their field for better crop yield or lawn performance. If pH level is out of balance, it should be restored before growing of lawn or plants can be done. This is a better approach to healthy and easy to maintain lawns.




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