Soil Sample - Does the sample Expire?

[GloryDaysDesign]

How long after digging my soil sample before it is no good to send in to test? I am going on about 3 weeks of the soil in my pail. This is all new to me so just took a bit longer to figure out who to send it to. Hoping I did not wait too long. Is there a soil "expiration"?


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[Smallplot]

As long as the soil was dry and not stored in a way that promotes bacterial/fungal growth you are good to go.


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[yoderjac]

I'll second that. The lab I use, Virginia Tech, provides small cardboard boxes that are properly sized for their machine. Not only do you get results much faster since they don't have to fill the boxes by hand, the boxes are great for storing the samples where they can breath enough to minimize bacterial/fungal growth.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[GloryDaysDesign]

Well, mine are currently in pails in my detached garage - Need to get them out asap! Thanks guys!


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[Smallplot]

Just one tip, if samples are taken and soil is moist to wet, you can spread out the samples and let them dry then place in paper (best - unwaxed) like small sandwich paper bags and labeled with a permanent marker to keep straight. When submitting to your chosen lab, place into their containers for submission.


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[JohnL48]

Does bacteria and fungal growth effect the PH for sample purposes ?

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[FarmerDan]

Does bacteria and fungal growth effect the PH for sample purposes ?

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The whole issue of soil sample shelf life is a subject of some scientific research, While the academics debate the theories, they seem to come to no consistent conclusions. The bigger issue to me concerns not this, but how good a sample is collected. We send off a pound of soil to represent about a million pounds of soil per acre. The other day a couple of us were watching YouTube videos of this thing a work (http://www.veristech.com/the-soil/soil-ec)! The answers it provides are probably far different than the answer we get based on a bunch of core samples.

 

[yoderjac]

Combine that with the differences in growing technique between food plotters and farmers, I find fertilizer recommendations not highly useful. Few of us have the soil science background necessary to translate the nutrient measurements into our operations. While I still think taking soil samples can be useful and are the only way to go for someone starting out, I've slowly come to the conclusion that it is better for me to ask myself if a particular field is achieving my objectives and if not whether nutrients could be the culprit and then try to figure out what the best way is to achieve the objective.

This is all beyond the basics of soil testing, but it is where I've evolved after a number of years. This is not to tell new folks to avoid taking soil samples or applying fertilizer and lime recommendations. It is simply to say that is a good starting point but as you move forward over time things can become much more complicated, but I find it fun to learn as I go.

Thanks,

Jack