Hamilton County Soil and Water Conservation District
  • Home
  • About
    • About >
      • Staff & Supervisors >
        • Supervisor- Nominee Info Sheets
    • Donate/Affiliate Membership
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Newsletter >
      • News articles
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Strategic Plan
    • Contractor List
  • Programs & Services
    • Ag Stewardship/INfield Advantage >
      • Agriculture Resources
    • Drainage
    • Financial Assistance/Cost Share Programs
    • Invasive Species >
      • Invasive Trade In Program
      • Hamilton County Invasives Partnership
    • Map Resources
    • Native Plant Sale
    • Native Tree Sale
    • Rain Barrel Info & Sales >
      • Noblesville Rain Barrel Program
    • Rule 5 Submission
    • Soil Is Alive: Soil Health Trailer
    • Soil Maps & Surveys
    • Soil Testing
    • Stony Creek Feasibility Study
    • Photo Contest
    • Well Capping
    • Well Water Testing
    • Report a Polluter
    • Tool Loan Program
    • Video Resources
  • Urban Conservation
    • Backyard Conservation
    • Conservation Playhouse
    • Urban Agriculture >
      • Donate Your Vegetables
      • Garden Resources
    • Creating and Maintaining a Prairie
    • Restoring HOA Native Landscapes
    • Stormwater Landscape Maintenance Training
    • Rain Garden Info
    • Seed pack
    • Tree Info
    • Where to buy native plants & seed
  • Events
    • Workshops & Events
    • Rain on Main
    • Sustainability Workshop
    • Past events & recordings
  • Online Store
  • Home
  • About
    • About >
      • Staff & Supervisors >
        • Supervisor- Nominee Info Sheets
    • Donate/Affiliate Membership
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Newsletter >
      • News articles
    • Volunteer Opportunities
    • Strategic Plan
    • Contractor List
  • Programs & Services
    • Ag Stewardship/INfield Advantage >
      • Agriculture Resources
    • Drainage
    • Financial Assistance/Cost Share Programs
    • Invasive Species >
      • Invasive Trade In Program
      • Hamilton County Invasives Partnership
    • Map Resources
    • Native Plant Sale
    • Native Tree Sale
    • Rain Barrel Info & Sales >
      • Noblesville Rain Barrel Program
    • Rule 5 Submission
    • Soil Is Alive: Soil Health Trailer
    • Soil Maps & Surveys
    • Soil Testing
    • Stony Creek Feasibility Study
    • Photo Contest
    • Well Capping
    • Well Water Testing
    • Report a Polluter
    • Tool Loan Program
    • Video Resources
  • Urban Conservation
    • Backyard Conservation
    • Conservation Playhouse
    • Urban Agriculture >
      • Donate Your Vegetables
      • Garden Resources
    • Creating and Maintaining a Prairie
    • Restoring HOA Native Landscapes
    • Stormwater Landscape Maintenance Training
    • Rain Garden Info
    • Seed pack
    • Tree Info
    • Where to buy native plants & seed
  • Events
    • Workshops & Events
    • Rain on Main
    • Sustainability Workshop
    • Past events & recordings
  • Online Store

Hamilton County SWCD News

News article homepage

Soil Testing in Preparation for your Spring Planting !

4/1/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Mark McCauley, Resource Conservationist

It may not quite seem like it, but Spring has arrived and things are definitely turning green!  I
n fact, flower bulbs, like daffodils, have already pushed through the soil and have bloomed in many locations!  For gardeners everywhere, we are beginning to think about what we may want to plant where, and what preparations may be needed to prepare this year’s beds. One good idea is to have your soil tested. This is especially important if you have never done it, or if it has been a few years since the last one.  Depending on the “crop” you intend to grow (i.e. vegetables, flowers, trees, lawn), you may need to apply certain amendments to create the ideal growing conditions.  A healthy plant is more productive and resilient to adverse conditions (i.e bad weather, disease, harmful insects, and competition from weeds).
  
 
Taking a soil sample for testing is really pretty simple.  We have all the instructions on our webpage.  Basically, you will want to obtain a representative sample for the specific area you want to treat, whether that be a vegetable garden, a lawn, a shrub bed, etc. Once a soil sample is obtained, it should be mixed and brought into our office, and 2 cups will be taken from that to send in to the lab (which we can do that). The lab requires 2 cups of soil to complete their analysis.  Results are usually available within about 4 days, and those can be emailed directly to you.
  
 
When you get your results, you will receive is a list of the current nutrient levels, the pH (how acidic or alkaline your soil is), the organic matter content, and a few other things (which an explanation sheet will be provided for).  You will also receive recommendations on what nutrient types to apply (dependent on your intended “crop”), how much of each nutrient, how to adjust the pH if needed, and when to do all of this.  
 
Our Basic Test - $35 includes organic matter, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, CEC, pH, and buffer pH. 
Our
Complete Test- $45 includes the Basic Test plus conductivity, boron, copper, iron, manganese, sulfur and zinc.  I

​f you are interested in completing a test this spring, or any other time of the year, just follow the directions on our web
site and submit a sample to our office.  We will be happy to help. ​

1 Comment
gggc laboratories link
12/7/2020 02:43:03 am

It is a great blog post.I am always read your blog helpful and informative tips. I like it thanks for sharing this information with us

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Write something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview.

    Archives

    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    March 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    October 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    March 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    October 2020
    June 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    January 2020
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019

    Categories

    All
    Canada Thistle
    Crop Diversity
    Garden Tower
    Hamilton SWCD
    Indiana
    Invasive Species
    Karner Blue
    Lupinus Perennis
    Native Plants
    Pet Safety
    Soil Health
    Soil Testing
    Urban Conservation
    Urban Gardening
    Water Quality
    White River
    Wild Lupine

    RSS Feed

Your SWCD

​About
​Services
Newsletter
Affiliate Membership
Contact Us

soil.water@hamiltoncounty.in.gov
317.773.2181
1717 Pleasant St. Suite 100
Noblesville, IN 46060
Established in 1968
© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Photo used under Creative Commons from andurache