How to take a soil sample (2024)

FAQs

How to take a soil sample? ›

You can use a soil probe to obtain soil from multiple locations around the landscape bed or garden. Take samples to a depth of 6-8 inches. You should collect separate samples for soil tests from different sections within your yard, landscape, or garden. Each section should be distinct from the others.

A soil probe is a good tool for obtaining soil samples. Push the tube to the six-inch depth and remove the core. Then take the 6- to 18-inch core through the same hole for the subsoil test.

The recommended sampling depth for gardens is 6 inches. This is the normal spading depth of most garden soils. Take soil samples to a depth of 4 inches. This is the actual soil depth and should not include roots or other accumulated organic material on the surface.

Soil testing often leads to healthier soil as farmers adjust their strategies to nurture their land. This not only helps increase crop yields, but also increases the value of the land itself.

Surface material is removed to the required depth and a stainless steel or plastic scoop is then used to collect the sample. This method can be used in most soil types but is limited to sampling at or near the ground surface.

Examples of soil sampling equipment: a soil push probe, hammer probe, and bucket auger. Along with a probe, a clean plastic bucket should be used. Ensure that the bucket and free of any debris and has not been used to collect or hold fertilizer, manure, or compost.

General Sampling Guidelines

Uniform fields should be sampled in a random pattern across the field by collecting 15 to 20 equal size soil cores. Avoid, or sample seperately, areas such as abandoned farmsteads and feedlot sites, old fence rows, wet or eroded spots, and end rows.

All non-commonage land declared on the applicant's 2023 BISS application must be sampled and analysed. A farmer must have a soil sample every five hectares of land up to 40 hectares. The maximum area per sample is 5 hectares.

What precautions should be taken while taking soil sample? ›

When collecting samples, avoid small areas where the soil conditions are obviously different from those in the rest of the field—for example, wet spots, old manure and urine spots, places where wood piles have been burned, severely eroded areas, old building sites, fencerows, spoil banks, and burn-row areas.

Avoid any unusual spots such as old fences, ditches, drinking troughs, dung or urine patches or where fertiliser / manures or lime has been heaped or spilled in the past. Do not sample a field until 3 to 6 months after the last application of P and K and 2 years where lime was applied.

The best strategy is to first determine the degree of variability within a field, and use grid sampling if variability is low (e.g. nutrient range is less than a factor of 2 to 3 across the field), and use zone sampling if variability is high. Furrows, headlands and potholes should all be avoided (Swenson et al.

Divide Field into Halves or Quarters of 20-40 Acres

This is the most common soil sampling method if soil variability is not a serious issue. Take several soil cores in a zigzag pattern across each quadrant, then properly mix and bag so the cores can be analyzed by the soils laboratory.

A soil test costs $10 to $40 per sample for basic garden soil testing or $1,000 to $5,000 for pre-construction testing. Agriculture or farm soil testing costs $10 to $70 per sample or $0.50 to $14.00 per acre. A soil test comes with a soil report, while additional analysis costs extra.