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Blog

Understanding Your Soil Test

4/15/2020

2 Comments

 
Picture
As the grounds thaw out, you might be thinking that it's time to test your soil's health. To make sure that your soil is as productive as possible this spring, first understand the report that will come back from a soil test. Below we've outlines some common metrics you might get back from a soil test and what they mean:

pH
pH is a measure of acidity. 7 is considered neutral, while lower values reflect more acidic soil. For reference, pure water has a pH of 7 and rain water has a typical pH of 5-6. The chart below shows how pH affects nutrient availability in soil:​
Picture

​Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
​CEC can indicate the soil texture, with lower numbers indicating sandier soil and higher numbers indicating soil with more clay and organic matter. 8 is usually considered the middle ground for CEC.

Base Saturation
This is a proportion of the following nutrients in soil: potassium, magnesium, calcium, hydrogen, and sodium. Good soil structure and water-holding capacity is usually associated with the following proportions:
  • Calcium - 65%-75%
  • Magnesium - 10%-18%
  • Potassium - 35%

Other desired nutrient levels will depend on your specific planting needs. For example, most crops have specific nitrogen recommendations and will require about 1/10 the amount of Sulfur in comparison to nitrogen needs. Potassium is critical for many garden fruits and vegetables, and supplementing could be more beneficial to soils with higher CEC values. Phosphorous recommendations will depend on crop yield and current phosphorous levels in the soil. ​

We hope this brief overview will help you decipher your next soil test, but if you have additional questions we're always available! Please email questions to monroecsoil@gmail.com and we'll be happy to help however we can!
2 Comments
Mia Evans link
6/9/2021 07:06:55 pm

Thanks for helping me understand that the pH level is neutral when the level is 7. I hope that the pH level in our backyard's soil is in good condition when we get it tested because I really wanted to have my own vegetable garden. It would be nice to have my own supply now that I want to start living a vegan lifestyle this year.

Reply
Bethesda Cleaners link
7/5/2022 01:08:40 am

Nice bblog post

Reply



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  • HOME
  • CONSERVATION
  • RESOURCES
  • THE TOOL SHED
  • EDUCATION
  • CONTRACTORS AND CONSULTANTS
  • THE BUSINESS
    • Mission, Vision & Structure
    • Board Meetings & Agendas
    • Meeting Minutes
    • District History >
      • MCSWCD Original Documents
    • PAST SUPERVISORS
    • Supervisors Roles & Responsibilites
  • CONNECT WITH US
    • Lastest News and Information
    • Request Resource Information
    • Technical Assistance Request
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