| Tuesday Tools: Soil Testers |
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| Written by Heleigh Bostwick Tuesday, 02 February 2010 | |||
 It’s almost Spring and for some gardeners that means it’s almost time to conduct some soil tests. Not every gardener needs to do this of course, but sometimes it’s necessary. For instance, you might want to test pH when you’re planting something new that requires acidic soil. Or, you want to know if you really need to fertilize or not. It’s during times like these that a soil testing kit comes in handy. Most soil testing kits are fairly easy to use. All that’s required is a soil sample, water, a small container, and a special powder. Mix, shake, and observe. Of course there’s the old-fashioned way of testing soil pH with litmus paper and that works too, but most of us are pressed for time just want to relax when we’re gardening--not fuss with little strips of paper, mixing solutions, and guess work. That’s why a new gadget called an electronic soil tester is becoming popular. An electronic soil tester does more than test the pH of the soil, it also measures light intensity, soil fertility in the form of combined NPK (nitrogen-phosphorus-potash) levels, and soil moisture, which tells you if the soil is too dry, too wet, or just right for your plants. Ideally you should test soil in Spring and monitor the soil conditions periodically through the growing season. |
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