Keys to Reliable Soil Test Information
November 17, 2017 The best time to take soil samples is three to six months before planting, according to an article on Channel.com. This timing should give the soil testing laboratory time to analyze the soil and provide liming and fertilization recommendations well before the busy planting season. Soil sampling shortly after fall harvest should help avoid sampling when the soil is too wet or during severely cold temperatures. Wet soils make it difficult to mix the cores, and sampling when soils are frozen may give misleading results. Sampling at the same time every year may provide a more accurate long-term picture of the pH and fertility of your fields.
How often soil sampling should be conducted depends on your soil types. Sandy soils do not hold nutrients as long as denser soils with more organic matter, loam, and clay. While soil testing every four years is usually sufficient in heavier soils, sandy soils should be sampled every two to three years. To keep soil testing manageable, consider testing half of all sandy fields and one-fourth of all clay, loam, or high organic matter fields each year. Each field or management area should be sampled separately.
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