Re: Soil testing kits

[Pat Kiewicz]

David Hare-Scott said:

>
>Do you have a reference for the significance of different kinds of
>weeds?

According to "Weeds and What They Tell" by Erenfried D. Pfeiffer...

Indicating acid soil: sorrels, docks, fingerleaf weeds, lady's thumb and horsetail.
Also hawkweed and knapweed.

Indicating crust formation and/or hard pan: field mustard, horse nettle, penny cress,
moring glory, quack grass, camomiles, pine apple weed.

Weeds of cultivation (frequently spreading with manure and compost): lamb's
quarters, plantain, chickweed, buttercup, dandelion, nettle, prostrate knotweed,
prickly lettuce, field speedwell, rough pigweed, common horehound, celandine,
mallows, carpetweed and similar plants.

Frequent weeds on slightly acid soil (which may occur at the surface even
in an area with limey substrate) due to insufficient cultivation: daisies, horsetail,
field sorrel, prostrate knotweed

Very acid soil, mainly due to wrong cultivation and insufficient drainage: cinquefoil,
swampy horsetail. Hawkweed and knapweed also on 'wild' soils.

Salty soils: shepherd's purse, Russian thistle, sea plantain, sea aster, Artemisia
maritima.

Much potassium in the soil: Marsh mallow, wormwood, knapweed, fumatory, opium
poppy. Red clover disappears with a lack of potassium and increase in acidity

Absence of lime: yellow or hop clover, rabbits foot clover, fox glove, wild pansy (in
lawns), garden sorrel, sundews, white mullein, Scotch broom, black vetchling

(There's a WHOLE LOT more, including discussions of families of weedy plants.)

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

Any technology distinguishable from magic is insufficiently advanced.
(attributed to Don Marti)

[Anne Middleton/Harold Walker]

For ph purposes litmus paper does as accurate a job as is needed.....some
folk are just too fussy about accuracy.....as a youngster I remember dad
having superb results year after year and the only ph testing he ever did
was tasting a bit of soil (can still see dad now spitting it out and saying
"It needs a little bit of lime son")...... I dont like the taste of soil so
I use the litmus paper...have also used a kit and also find them to be as
accurate as needed. For info...I can ride down the road about five miles
and get all the real accurate readings I could care for and for
free......at the local Extension Service but figure, why bother when I have
my supply of litmus paper and distilled water.......HW

[TXMASTERGARDENER]

"David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message >...
> "Mahsamatman" > wrote in message
> . ..
> > We purchased one of the better kits from a hort supply place for
> around $70
> > and have been unhappy with it.
> >
>
> Which kit was that?
>
> David

I would suggest you get an auger and a soil sample kit from your
county extension agent or closest agriculture university. They will
give you instructions about how to take samples and usually have a
mail pouch to send in the borings. They will give you an analysis of
the soil conditions and their recommendations about what to add to
achieve your goal. This is going to give more accurate information
than you are able to achieve with home test kits.

[simy1]

"David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message >...

> ...snip...
>
> >You can go a long way by looking at the kind of weeds
> > that grow in your place. And if you are in doubt, why don't you just
> > manure?
>
> Do you have a reference for the significance of different kinds of
> weeds?
>
> I will be manuring copiously in many areas but as I will be establishing
> many different species with various requirements (pH, P tolerance, etc)
> over a wide area I need to be selective in order to put various manures
> to best effect and avoid causing harm.
>
> David

Then you probably want a 10-kit. It may not be accurate but it will
provide you with a pH/nutrient map of the property. Then you can
establish an overall scale by taking one trowel of soil from each
spot, mix them, and have them analyzed at the County Extension
Service.

You can also help yourself with common sense: most plants will want
manure, acid-loving plants (blueberries and potatoes) will want wood
chips, and lime-loving plants (cabbage) will want wood ash.

[Frank Miles]

In article >,
David Hare-Scott > wrote:
>
>"Frank Miles" > wrote in message
...
>> In article >,
>> David Hare-Scott > wrote:
>> >Does anybody use do-it-yourself soil testing? I mean the sort that
>have
>> >tests for pH, and N, P and K at the very least. What kit did you
>use?
>> >Was it any good?
>> >
>> >I am mainly concerned with the accuracy and usefulness of results, I
>> >don't mind if I need to go to some trouble to get good results but I
>> >don't want to waste time and money (and possibly do harm)
>"correcting"
>> >problems that are not there.
>>
>> I've used both the DIY kits and soil testing services. Agreement has
>> been pretty good, the main difference being the improved resolution
>> of the services, and more importantly the greater completeness (Ca/Mg,
>> heavy metal check, etc.) that services can offer.
>>
>
>What DIY kit did you use? It may not be available here but it might.

Several, actually. Sudbury was one; don't remember the others. AFAICT
they are fairly comparable.

-frank
--

[Mahsamatman]

I believe it was a LaMotte kit.

--
Sam

"David Hare-Scott" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Mahsamatman" > wrote in message
> . ..
> > We purchased one of the better kits from a hort supply place for
> around $70
> > and have been unhappy with it.
> >
>
> Which kit was that?
>
> David
>
>