Soil Test (S-103, Agricultural Soil)

It all starts with good soil. Whether you're gardening 10 sq ft or farming thousands of acres, smart growers know that soil tests pay for themselves in increased productivity and targeted fertilizing that is made possible by a specific diagnosis of the soil's strengths and weaknesses.

The Complete Soil Analysis Report includes lab readings for the following tests:

• Zinc, manganese, iron, copper and boron
• Organic matter
• Estimated nitrogen release & nitrate nitrogen
• Phosphorus (weak bray & sodium bicarbonate P)
• Extractable cations (potassium, magnesium, calcium, sodium), hydrogen, sulfate sulfur
• pH & cation exchange capacity and percent cation saturation and excess lime

Note: This test is for standard, agricultural soil test. DO NOT submit container media (potting mix or soil from confined, container growing) or organic amendments for the standard "soil" test. Standard, agricultural soil test methods were NOT designed for these types of materials. If your sample contains perlite, vermiculite, bark, rice hulls, amendments or any other potting mix, you will not receive accurate results. Please contact Customer Service for guidance on container media testing.  

The important guidelines for taking soil samples: 

1. Soils that differ in soil type, appearance, drainage, crop growth or past treatment should be sampled separately, provided the areas can be fertilized separately. Avoid areas or soil conditions that are different, such as lime piles, manure piles, fertilizer spills, gate areas, livestock congregation areas, poorly drained areas, tillage or fertilizer corners, barns, roads or fence rows. 

2.  Use a clean trowel or shovel to take the sample. Don’t use brass, soft steel or your hands to take a sample. 

3.  Scrape away surface debris or litter and dig a cone-shaped hole to a depth of approximately 6”. Then, cut a vertical cross section of the soil sample, from the surface all the way down to the sample depth. 

4. Avoid varied depth of samples, combining unlike areas into one composite sample, or combining like soil areas with different past fertilizing or liming. 

5.  Take about a dozen cross sections for each soil test. If you are not testing in a raised bed, try to make the sample distances about 5 - 10 ft. apart. Mix them thoroughly in a clean plastic or paper container, don’t use rubber or galvanized steel as that could contaminate the soil. Fill sample bag to the line with this mixture. Send about 2 pounds of soil. 

6.  Preferably, the soil should not be sampled if it is much wetter than you would want it for tilling. If it is wet, allow it to air dry, away from the sun. Soil should never be dried with heat. Don’t put wet soil in sample bag––it will mold. 

7. Don’t touch soil with hands or contaminated equipment. Don’t use galvanized, soft steel or brass equipment for sampling. Don’t put soil in metal bucket because the zinc affects the soil test. 

8. Return 1000 grams or 2lbs of soil for testing. Typically, a one gallon zip lock bag that is ½ - ¾ full will suffice. 

• Write the GROW number (receipt number) & name on the ziplock bag 
• send to: 

Peaceful Valley Farm Supply
Attn: Soil Analysis
125 Clydesdale Ct
Grass Valley, CA 95945

9. For samples not originating within the lower 48 states please call for special shipping instructions as required by the USDA.