Topic: Soil testing?

[Trillium]

Hi,

I bought a soil testing kit at GW2005 and have tested mine this afternoon.  Bottom line is, I'm astonished anything is growing in this stuff as it seems to be highly acidic and almost competely devoid of nutrients!n  Just wondered if anyone else had tested theirs, and whether these home kits are up to much? 

[Palustris]

Yes, did one a few years back in our previous garden. According to the results the soil wa so acidic it should have been used to make battery acid! Used an electronic one on it and got a better result. but still obviously not right. Then got the soil analysed by a friend in a proper lab, and it came out as being acid, but within the normal range.

[Rosa_Mundi]

A fairly cheap electronic meter came up with a pH of 6.5, which seems quite reasonable. However, a small soil fertility test came up with virtually no nutrients. This seemed so at odds with the rampant growth I was getting that I ended up ignoring it!

[Trillium]

Well, apparently I've got a ph of 5.0, or thereabouts and the nitrate level barely registered on the colour chart.  The potassium level was almost zero as well! 

I know I'm on acid soil (happy camelias etc.) and it is very sandy so nutrients doleach away.  At least I know I can't overfeed!

[tim]

Can't help with nutrients but, for real accuracy - as we need in paper conservation - try these?

[john_miller]

If your soil test kit, Trillium, is giving you a test that registers nitrates then I think you have been had. No reputable soil test, such as the ones I have done at a laboratory as a tax deductible business expense, will even bother to measure available N. Because nitrate N is so water soluble it's levels can vary on a daily, almost hourly (i.e. after heavy rain), basis and any measure of it is essentially meaningless. Any company worth it's salt, or it's products retail value, would know this.

[tim]

And what about moisture & ight meters?

I have 3, & the difference can be 'dryish', 'moist' or 'wet'!! Similar variance with the light bit.

I toss a coin!!

[Charlotte Sometimes]

I have a soil testing kit, but haven't bothered to use it yet.  Nextdoor have a wonderful camelia.  Yet last year, I grew calabrese and some other brassicas successfully in the very poor soil that used to be our veggie patch.  We have raised beds this year, filled with coir/compost/home-made compost, so no point testing that.  Should be OK!

Wierd though.... camelias and brassicas, light, sandy soil.... middle of London?!?!?!  My last garden was 4 minutes walk away from here and was heavy clay.  The only difference being we are effectively in a valley here on top of what used to be farm land until about 1900.

Hey ho.  Everything seems to grow ok, why worry!?  (That's my lazy bones attitude!)