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Clayton Garden Center: Quality service with a local touch

Soil tests can be used to evaluate fertilization practices and diagnose problems in lawns and gardens. Photo courtesy of MelindaMyers.com.

By Melinda Myers
Guest columnist

Soil is the foundation of a healthy garden, but let’s be honest, most gardeners don’t like to spend time, energy and money on it. It’s more fun to display pretty flowers or share tasty vegetables. But creating a healthy soil base will increase your growing success, which means prettier flowers, bigger harvests, and a healthier landscape for you to enjoy.

Melinda Myers

When creating a new lawn, landscape or garden bed, start with a soil analysis. Use soil testing to evaluate your fertilization practices and diagnose problems in existing lawns and gardens. Prioritize and spread costs starting with new and distressed gardens or lawns. Then implement an ongoing testing program that tests one or two existing gardens each year. Testing lawns and gardens every few years can help improve their health while helping you avoid inappropriate and excessive fertilization that can negatively impact your landscape and the environment.

A soil test report tells you if fertilizer is needed and which fertilizer is best to use for the plants you are growing. It also assesses soil pH, acidity and alkalinity, informing you of any necessary adjustments. Testing this before fertilizing or adjusting soil pH can help avoid years of problems caused by applying too much or the wrong fertilizer, lime, sulfur or other products.

You can take a soil sample for testing any time the soil is not frozen and you have not recently applied fertilizer. Fall is a great time to implement soil test results before the next growing season.

Contact your local or state University Extension Service to locate a qualified soil testing laboratory near you. Many have a state laboratory that provides this service for a fee, while others provide lists of soil testing laboratories in your area.

Take separate samples for each type of planting, garden bed and, if necessary, lawn area. As you may have discovered, soil can vary greatly from location to location. Backfill may have been added when the home was built, topsoil used to create beds, and other incorporated soil amendments that may impact your growing success. Taking a sample from individual beds, mixed borders and lawn provides better information about existing conditions and what is needed to grow these types of plants.

Use a clean trowel and bucket to collect the soil sample. If necessary, slide back the mulch and remove a narrow slice of soil, four to six inches deep, where many plant roots are growing.

Take several samples from the garden or lawn you want to test. Take samples from each edge and several from the middle of the bed or lawn. Mix the samples, place about a cup in a plastic bag and send it to the soil testing laboratory. Wait several weeks for the test to be completed and the results returned.

Consider adding soil testing to your garden preparation and ongoing care. This investment will help you cultivate healthier, more productive and beautiful gardens and landscapes.

Melinda Myers has written more than 20 books on gardening, including Midwest Gardener’s Handbook, 2nd Edition and small space gardening. She hosts Les Grands Cours »“How to Grow Anything” Video and Instant DVD Series and the national union Melinda’s Garden Moment radio program. Myers is a columnist and editor-in-chief of Birds & Blooms magazine. Myers’ website is www.MelindaMyers.com.