Explained: How to Take a Soil Sample For Testing
Soil health is key to the success of your paddock, lawns, and gardens; a small imbalance in the nutritional content or pH can throw your much-loved and cared-for leisure areas into chaos.
Unwanted plants, poor growth of grass or other plants, and a lack of beneficial insects can all indicate that your outdoor area needs a little support. It’s easy in this situation to try out various fertilisers and tools with no real direction or strategy.
That’s where soil testing comes in; by understanding the make-up of your soil, you can pinpoint exactly where your soil can be improved, saving both money and countless hours of research.
How to take a soil sample for testing:
Taking a soil sample for testing couldn’t be easier. Follow our quick step-by-step process and watch your garden or paddock take on a new lease of life:
- Purchase one of our simple-to-use soil analysis kits; choose the most suitable kit and we'll pop your A5 analytical order form, clear plastic bag and pre-paid envelope in the post for you.
- Using a clean trowel, take soil samples across the area that you'd like analysed, walking in the configuration of a 'W' and collecting samples at each point. To do this, dig as deep as the rooting depth of the plant area you'd like to analyse. if this is a grassed area, it's likely you'll need to dig around 10cm deep. For flower beds, you'll need to dig much deeper. Once you've taken a sample, place it in a clean bucket.
- Mix the samples in the bucket - this ensures accurate results
- Fill the clear plastic soil sample bag with your mixed soil and seal it
- Place your sample bag in the prepaid envelope and return it to the lab - once we receive the results we will interpret these and get back to you with the results as well as personalised recommendations fit for your land.
Are you ready to find out what's holding your gardens and paddocks back? Take a look at our range of soil analysis tests and find the right one for you.
