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North Ga

I found a list of tests I can have done on my soil @ The Ga. State Extension Service. Can someone help me to decide on which ones I will need? The link is:

http://www.admin.co.fayette.ga.us/extension/lab_services/soil_test_price.html

Thanks in advance.

2/10/2003 6:47:33 PM

Walton N.y.

hi brian,
my soil is to dumb to take a test and besides it's got about 2ft of snow over it

2/10/2003 7:41:28 PM

Montoursville, PA

Brian....for the first year or two your efforts to build the patch using lots of manure, leaves, compost, and green crop covers in the fall will negate any desire I would have for anything other than your S1 for $4.00 and your S9 for $6.00. Your test would show you the basic fertilizer and materials to add to get PH up or down to 7, a tiney bit more or less on PH is OK. It may take a couple of years to get this and your organic content up considerably.

Talk with your county agent. Tell him what you want to do and what I have said. Take his resonable advise and go from there. I gardened fifty years and never had a soil test until the urge to be right for pumpkins maximum growth came into view. Look at my diary and add this kind of support for each year in as much is possible. Within three years you may want to know additional things which you will learn by asking here. You need a high volume of manure and humis adding factors added to your patch if you are normal.; The top growers are talking 10% humus content. That is very high from where you are most likely positioned at this hour.

2/10/2003 7:50:35 PM

Montoursville, PA

Brian start keeping an eye open for green grass clippings. I would take any except the very first cutting or two from a property some chemical service bombed with weed killer. After that I would use any I could get to start a compost pile and or mulch my garden up to ten inches deep as the plants grow. Come fall talk neighbors into giving you leaves and really build by tilling in as much as you can while building piles to compost with the grass clippings and other wastes you can round up. Horse farms usually give manure away. Cow is a tad nicer to work with but is usually sold in this area. You will find sources if you make it an on going search.

2/10/2003 8:10:06 PM

Ctpumpkin@optonline.net

Brian,

S1 Routine & S6 % Organic Matter are the minimum & will get you pretty much were you want to go.
S5 Texture is nice, but you can do this in a mason jar yourself. I wouldn't pay $9.00 for this.
S3 CEC is allways part of my standard test & I would recommend it.
Depends what you want to spend. All 4 would be cool.
Steve

2/10/2003 8:25:00 PM