It might be beneficial to have a comprehensive / comparison list of Soil Sample Labs
1. Which labs do you send soil samples?
2. What do they charge?
3. What do you get for it?
4. How often do you get a sample?
5. Satisfaction with lab?
My Responses:
1. Mossy Oak Biologic
2. $7.50 / sample
3. pH, P, K, Mg, Ca measurements as well as Lime & fertilizer recommendations for given crop
4. 1 time per year, Spring
5. Very responsive and can get results within 2-3 days. They do not provide a OM % at the basic sample.
I started with Biologic. They are convenient for the entry level food plotter and do a good job of presenting the basic results in a format understandable by the novice. They are easy for the guy planting a few small plots and using the biologic BOB mixes since they specifically provide fertilizer recommendations for them.
Once I began to learn a bit more about soils and such and began a larger scale program, I moved on to using the university lab in my state (Virginia Tech). Because I have an in-state commercial pine farm, basic soil tests are free and more advanced testing like OM are about $2. They both email and send a hard copy of the results.
The recommendations here a quite a bit more sophisticated. The forms have questions like soil type, the last time and how much lime was applied, the previous crop planed and the yield. These things allow the recommendations to consider things like N credits and such. However, there are some limitations. Recommendations from all labs are really aimed at farmers growing and harvesting monocultures or grazing livestock.
Food plots are quite different. One big factor is that we don't harvest and deer are browsers, not grazers. This allows us to make much smarter choices when it comes to mixing complementary plants. We don't require the yield of a farmer because deer are browsers. We also plant for specific gaps in time when quality native foods diminish. So, any crop left in the field after that gap closes is excess and they field has met our objective. Many of the cover crops that farmers plant simply to benefit their cash crops are the same plants we plant for deer. So, it is much easier for us to take advantage of the nutrient cycling abilities of our soils.
This all boils down to the fact that fertilizer recommendations from any lab are a good starting place, but are aimed at consumptive farming not food plots. The raw results of a soil test are very valuable to food plotters. Most of us don't have the soil science background to translate the raw results to efficient fertilizer application.
In general, I get soil sample annually for the first few years of a fields life. Once the initial amendments have been applied and things stabilize, every two or three years is frequent enough for me.
Thanks,
Jack
