How to Test Soil at Home | Ask This Old House
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- Опубліковано 6 вер 2024
- In this video, This Old House landscaping contractor Jenn Nawada shows host Kevin O'Connor how to use a home soil test kit to check the condition of his soil.
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Landscaping contractor Jenn Nawada teaches host Kevin O’Connor everything he needs to know about home soil test kits. Jenn explains the importance of soil testing, helping Kevin understand that he can’t fix what he doesn’t know about his yard.
You Can't Fix What You Don't Know
For homeowners who want to maintain a lush, green lawn or healthy plants, soil tests are important-after all, they can't fix what they don't know. Soil tests are essentially a screenshot of the soil's health. They explain the soil's condition, including its nutrients, what nutrients it lacks, and those in abundance. They will also explain the soil's acidity, allowing the user to adjust it for prime growing conditions.
Fall is the Best Time to Test
Timing is essential; the best time to test soil is in the fall. The soil will need amending if the test comes back with too high or too low an acidity level. The homeowner can amend the soil in the fall, giving the soil time to rectify before the spring growing season.
Know Your pH
For grass to grow and take up nutrients, the soil needs to be within a certain window of acidity. The home soil test kit will explain the level of acidity in terms of pH, and the pH window for ideal grass growth is between 5.5 and 7.5 on the scale.
Where to find it?
Jen explains the importance of soil testing and how you can do it at home.
For the soil analyzer:
- Clean the prongs of the tester with distilled water and a clean cloth before use and between uses. This will keep the readings from being affected by the pH of a previous test or tap water.
- Dig a small hole, remove organic debris, and insert the prongs into the soil you wish to measure. The first reading that appears will be pH, which is measured on a scale from 1 to 14, with 1 being the most acidic and 14 being the most alkaline. Seven is a neutral pH. Most plants will grow in a pH between 6 and 7.5.
- These analyzers also often include a moisture reading as well. You will want the moisture to be at midrange.
Directions for P.H. strips are the same as the prong meters:
- To dig a small hole, remove organic debris and thoroughly mix and wet the soil with distilled water.
- With the strips, it helps to put a sample in a container and let it settle overnight. Don't wipe off the strip after wetting-it will smear. Let it fully dry naturally and read the test results.
The capsule tests are as follows:
- Dig between 3-4 inches below the surface with gloved hands and take a sample of soil, mix with distilled water, transfer some of the solution to the color comparator, add powder from each capsule to separate test containers, shake and watch the color develop. Then, note your test results. You are looking for adequate to sufficient results for each.
All materials used can be found online or at local home centers.
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How to Test Soil at Home | Ask This Old House
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Always better to work with a local university extension office and send in an overall sample. You get much more information about your soil such as all micro nutrients as well as Organic Matter and CEC's. These are super important which even home kits and even soil savvy does not show.
Not all states have this services for the average residents and it can take months to get results back from out of state.
That’s simply not true. Every state has at least one university that will do soil testing, some even for free. I use our state university, they have an extension office in our county, and they get test results back in about two weeks. Or, you can use a private agriculture lab (Waypoint, Spectrum, and AgSource to name a few) for $20-30 and get results in a few days.
@@jodirauth8847 I'm fairly certain that every single state will have at least 1 University that does this. Those students need to be trained anyways so many Universities will do it. I live near Boston (not exactly an agricultural powerhouse) and I have 3 Universities near me that will do soil testing.
You guys rock for signing off with some cautionary wisdom about fertilizer pollution. That's why I'm learning about diagnosing my soil (new gardener), because something is clearly stunted but my compost isn't ready to use yet, so I need to find another way.
Definitely get better quantitative results if you send a sample to your local university extension or an agriculture lab.
Kevin is the perfect host for toh.
If you find that the pH of your soil is 12, then my condolences to your family.
I used a local university agriculture center and its recommended you do atleast 20 samplings around your property since one area might be higher in pH, etc. Soils for trees that are conifers need low pH.
I hv a blueberry farm and the soil ph must be around 4 to 5.5 or the blueberry bushes will not take up the nutrients and will not taste good....
I test my soil every year with my area extension for free.
I take customer soil to the local nursery, but I'm just glad to see Jenn 😂
Perv
Cool. Thanks!
What is the percentage of water contamination in the results?
Use distilled water.
Omg I never clicked so fast. I have a dumb garden in the front of the house that, I swear, won’t grow anything.
I have never did a soil test and my lawn stays green all year, I only use milorganite and water it.
Nothing wrong with eliminating extra pollutants into the waterways. Be conservative of unneeded applications.
When I clicked on this video I was not expecting comedy Gold. But when he asked what do you do if your pH is 12 both my wife and I could not stop laughing because that is the same pH as lime that you would use to dissolve a body. The other option you could use it for a hair straightener. Or if you want to get more creative that's the same pH as oven cleaner.
I thought the same. Your soil pH is never gonna be 12. And if it is...you probably have bigger problems than dead grass. 😬
These two guys are funny!
Great host
Home kits just Iike the Corona virus swab and swirl lol
1:18 what if im too high?
get some muchies.
Then just start buying the cheap weed. You don't have to fly to the moon every time.
Every once and awhile the new England blind spots creep into this old house. Most states in the rest of the country have a ag program at one of the state universities that will send you a kit for either free or very cheap, and send you back a full write up with conditions, recommended amendments, and plants suited for your conditions.
Here in Colorado it's through CSU and I think it's $35 total.
You can do the same thing in Massachusetts, and I'd assume all the other New England states. There are extension offices everywhere, thought not everyone knows about them.
Thought soil samples are done at the doctors office.
It's potassium, stop calling it pot ash.
exactly...K is the chemical symbol for potassium
Its the same thing. Potash is a mineral salt made up of...wait for it...potassium.
@@xoxo2008oxox The only problem is a novice gardener who just goes to the home improvement store and asks for potash could end up potassium nitrate, potassium sulfate, potassium chloride, etc, since potash is an umbrella term for potassium salts. Dumping a bunch of potassium sulfate on your soil would be bad news if you have low K but an overabundance of S (sulfur).
If you pull a 12 or 14 ph level then you are most likely on the planet Venus in which you will be dead. 😆
Important to note; this assumes we know enough about soil science to fully manipulate it.
I'm not a soil scientist so this comes with some salt. I think there is something of value of using organic fertilizer if you can in your home garden.
Organic or not, there are still pollution risks. Nitrogen is Nitrogen. It doesn't matter if it's "artificial" or not. Too much of it will still cause problems for you and the local ecosystem around your home.
@@Philitron128 That's quite true I've heard of too much of a good thing is bad or the other saying everything in moderation. Quite right about moderation I'd say Nature is interesting in that it's built to promote moderation with positive feedback.
Kevin should help his wife and take his kids to the doctor once in while.
Dude, if you're too high you shouldn't be messing with those chemicals!
Or better yet, take it to your local extension agent and get a professional one done for free 😁. Use your tax paid resources 👍
Not all county extensions or states do soil testing and it can take months to get your results back.
@@jodirauth8847 that's why you get them done early. What state are you in? Also, they are much more accurate.
@@jodirauth8847All states do soil testing. Tell me your state and I'll tell you who does it.
Great for garden. Terrible waste of effort for grass. Grass is terrible for the environment and the largest wasted effort in this country.
To each his own. I love my green weed less grass!
Grass produces a lot of oxygen, what's not to like??
@@cpt.oblivion Giant swaths of grass are virtual deserts for beneficial insects like bees, butterflies, and ladybugs unfortunately. Nothing to eat, nothing to lay their eggs on and when grass is cut short like most lawns, it provides nothing in the form of cover/safe habitat from predators. If you use pesticides, then it becomes a toxic desert to boot. 🙁
@@cpt.oblivion According to the EPA, using a gas powered lawn mower emits the same amount of pollutants as driving 11 cars. The way we maintain our grass is a huge problem. There are tones of studies on this.
@@Miguel195211 certain weeds are good for for soil and for insects.
I know it’s clay cause I can see it.
You could have shown us the usage of the PH stuff
Another half baked video
@@criticalmoment3859 Not rude, just realistic. Many of their videos are half baked.