"Ben Blackmore" wrote in message
.. .

"Bob S." wrote in message
om...
"Ben Blackmore" wrote in message
...
Hi,

I've been reading posts in the group about trying to get clay
soil in a
better condition.

Most people seem to be at the general consensus that you need to
add
gypsum,
peat moss and sand, along with other organic material. But
someone
mentioned
that before you go adding too much stuff to it, you should get
the soil
tested for ph balance, to make sure you don't make a bad problem
worse!
My
question is...how do you test the soil? I'm fairly knew to
gardening in
general, I used to just potter around at home with my parents,
however
now I
have my own place, with very very thick clay soil!

Cheers

Ben

You should get your soil worked up using the materials you
mentioned
before getting a soil test. You want to test the soil you are
going to
plant in, i.e. the finished product. For example, gypsum will
probably
change your soil's pH so you want to test it after the gypsum is
in
the soil.

Don't waste your money on a DIY soil test kit! The agricultural
professors at a local major college did a study of numerous
different
DIY kits from various retail outlets. Many soil samples were
checked
with the kits and then checked against their lab equipment. The
results varied drastically, some not even in the same ballbark.

Here's what you need to do. In the garden to be tested, take a
sample
from 5 or 6 different places in the garden/yard. Take about a cup
of
soil 6 inches below the surface at these points. Mix all the
samples
together thoroughly - this gives you an average for the whole
garden.
Put about 2 cups of this mixed soil in a baggie and take it to
your
local Extension Service office. They should be listed listed on
the
phone book under County Government. Price usually runs from
$5-$10.
Tell them what you intend to grow in the spot -flowers,
vegetables,
grass, etc. They will send it to a lab for analysis. They will
mail
you a complete detailed analysis, not just pH level, with
instructions
on how to correct any deficiencies.

Good luck on your project.

Bob S.

Would it be an idea to test it twice, once before then once after,
otherwise
I won't know how much of each material to add. I could end up making
a bad
situation worse if I add too much of one and not enough of the
other. If I
were to test it 1st, and got an idea of what needed to be done, then
I could
test after as well and make sure it worked.

Make sure you delay your second test by a few months at least.

Don't try and "correct" your soil. That is like bumping your head
against a brick wall. Rather let the pH determine what you should
and should not grow. Any mineral deficiencies may be made up by using
a standard balanced fertiliser like "Growmore" regularly. Even though
only the N,P,K concentrations are mentioned in the specifications
given with the fertiliser, it will as a rule have been made from
sufficiently impure materials to supply sufficient trace elements as
well.

Franz