When is the best time to take soil samples?
You can take soil samples any time throughout the year. Late summer or early fall is a good time to sample for most crops. Any lime that is recommended can then be applied and have enough time to react and change the pH before the next season’s crop is planted. Collect soil samples 3 to 6 months before planting. For lawns, late summer (mid-August) is appropriate, particularly for cool-season grasses. The turn-around time for samples submitted from mid-October through mid-April may be several weeks due to the large numbers of samples usually being handled at this time. Samples submitted from mid-April through October are usually analyzed within a few days.
Soil samples can be taken any time throughout the year for checking pH, phosphorus and potassium status. Collect soil samples 3-6 months before planting. Early spring is a good time to take soil samples for summer crops, and summer is a good time to sample for fall and winter crops. This allows time for lime recommended to react and change the pH before the crop is planted. To assess soil available nitrogen, sample as close to planting as possible. For Lawns, the late spring (May) is a good time sample for warm season grass and the summer (mid-Aug) is good for cool-season grasses. Q4: What tools and suppliess are needed to take a soil sample? A: A clean plastic bucket, and a soil probe are needed. You also need soil bags (Both soil probe and bags can be obtained from your local County Extension Service office). Specify the crop you wish to grow and a yield goal (for some crops) you try to achieve on the sample tag in order to get lime and fertilizer recommendations. Q5: How should a so
Soil samples can be taken any time throughout the year. It is important though to sample approximately the same time of the year. Late summer, or early fall, is a good time for most crops. This allows time for lime recommended to react and change the pH before the crop is planted. Collect soil samples 3-6 months before planting.
Take a soil sample a few months before initiating any new landscaping-whether it be seeding a lawn, starting a vegetable garden, putting in a flower bed, or planting perennials. Sampling well in advance of planting will allow time for applied soil amendments to begin making the desired adjustments in soil pH or nutrient levels. Sample established areas-lawns, trees, shrubbery, and other perennials- – at any time of year; however, an ideal time to take samples is when the garden season has ended in the late summer to early fall. Sampling in the fall allows time for corrective pH and nutrient management before new growth starts in the spring. Fall sampling also avoids a sometimes busy spring period at the Soil Testing Laboratory, thus avoiding delays in getting your soil test results. If an established area exhibits abnormal growth or plant discoloration, take a soil sample right away. For areas recently limed or fertilized, delay sampling at least six to eight weeks. A soil sample is a
Anytime that you need them! In the fall, just after harvest is usually the preferred time in farming because the fields are empty and sampling is quicker, and the crop has had all season to pull nutrients out of the soil. A key to proper soil sampling is to be consistent. It is important to try to always sample a given field at the same time of the year. A field may give different values in the spring vs. the fall. 2. Q: How frequently should I resample a field? A: It depends…Every two or three years is OK for most fields. Sandy soils that have very low nutrient reserves or fields producing high value crops such as fruits and vegetables could be sampled every year. Also, sample every year when there is an aggressive soil build-up program, or when there is a significantly low fertilizer rate. 3. Q: Should I sample an area even if it can not be fertilized separately? A: Maybe…It may be worth sampling a “poor growth” area in order to find out why it performs as it does. You may get a
