Thursday, May 17, 2018

To Find Soil Testing Ventura County Is The Best Location To Check Out

By Thomas Clark


The first step to achieving a healthy lawn is to have the soil tested for fertility and other properties. Soil testing refers to a single or a series of tests conducted on a sample with the intention of determining its properties. The test may aim at determining only a single aspect of the sample such as pH level or it may target to establish various qualities. In the latter case, multiple tests are conducted on a sample. When in search of Soil Testing Ventura County should be given priority.

Samples are tested to determine, biological, physical, and/or chemical properties. Chemical analysis is meant to determine the content of basic plant nutrients. Such nutrients include phosphorus, potassium, nitrogen, humus content, pH level, and available lime. Other contents measured include total CaCO3, total sulphur, trace elements, and organic matter. Physical properties that the analysis intends to determine include density, permeability, and capacity. All these substances are important for the health of plants once they are grown in the ground.

The process of analyzing soil involves several steps, beginning with sample collection. The collected samples are then submitted to the offices of local cooperative extension to be analyzed. A person can also submit the samples to independent labs or some garden centers. The process is cheap going for about 10 dollars per sample. The results take a few days to be delivered.

Sample collection must be done using a pint, shovel, and sampling tube. The sample collector must dig to about 4 and 6 inches deep and take the samples by use of a sampling tube. Six to five samples are to be collected from an area. Sample collection can be achieved in several ways. A person can observe the linear or zigzag methods of collecting samples.

After sampling, the sample should be cleared of any debris, thatch, or grass. All samples should then be mixed thoroughly together. The mixing should be done in a plastic bucket. From the mixture of samples, one should draw one pint of soil. The pint of soil should then be placed on a flat surface and placed in the sun to dry. Other means of air drying can also be used to remove moisture from the sample.

Laboratories prefer dry samples and that is the purpose of air drying. Besides, additional microorganism activity that can alter sample properties is eliminated through air drying. Without air drying, test outcomes emerging from those samples may fail to represent the exact soil conditions in the field. Microorganism activity in the sample may also be brought to halt through freezing.

With the one pint of sample collected, one should label it correctly before sending it to the laboratory. One may use their name as the label. The sample should then be sent to the laboratory for analysis. One should expect results in a few days together with a detailed analysis.

Based on the results of the analysis, one can know the kind of fertilizer they need to apply in their field for better crop yield or lawn performance. If pH level is out of balance, it should be restored before growing of lawn or plants can be done. This is a better approach to healthy and easy to maintain lawns.




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