RSS

For Soil Testing Ventura County Is Worth Visiting

By Thomas Clark


Testing the soil of its fertility and other components is the first step to attaining a healthy lawn. Normally, soil testing is either a series of tests or a single one done on a sample for the purposes of determining its contents. The analysis can be done to determine a single property like pH level or several other properties. For the purposes of determining different properties, several tests are run on the sample. When one needs Soil Testing Ventura County Offers the perfect location to visit.

Samples are tested to determine, biological, physical, and/or chemical properties. Chemical analysis is meant to determine the content of basic plant nutrients. Such nutrients include phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, humus content, pH level, and available lime. Other contents measured include total CaCO3, total sulphur, trace elements, and organic matter. Physical properties that the analysis intends to determine include density, permeability, and capacity. All these substances are important for the health of plants once they are grown in the ground.

The analysis process involved a number of steps, starting with the collection of samples. The samples are then taken to local cooperative extension offices for analysis. One may also take the samples to some garden centers or independent laboratories. This process usually costs cheaply at about ten dollars per sample. It takes a few days for one to receive the results back after sending a sample.

Sample collection must be done using a pint, shovel, and sampling tube. The sample collector must dig to about 4 and 6 inches deep and take the samples by use of a sampling tube. Six to five samples are to be collected from an area. Sample collection can be achieved in several ways. A person can observe the linear or zigzag methods of collecting samples.

Any grass, thatch, or debris should be removed from the sample once the sampling is done. After that, mixing all the samples together must be done thoroughly in a plastic bucket. A single pint of soil should then be picked from the mixture of various samples. Drying of the sample should be done in the sun before it is submitted for analysis. Moisture may also be removed from samples using other techniques of air drying.

The reason for air drying is because laboratories prefer dry samples. Also, air drying also helps to prevent further microorganism activity which may change the properties of the sample. Thus, the results obtained from such samples may not be representative of the exact soil properties in the field. Freezing may also be used to preserve samples and to stop microorganism activity.

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.




About the Author:



0 comments:

Post a Comment