Soil testing probes

[Brian662]

Anyone have a favorite? Pros/cons of the different styles? Just use a Shovel?

I'm planning to upgrade my soil testing numbers this year and into the future so I want to buy a prove for more consistency year over year. Hope to see some improvements with the new drill and minimal tillage.

 

[Turkey Creek]

I have a simple push in the ground soil test collector, it is faster than digging with a shovel. With a shovel make sure you dig a hole, clean out the bottom and then shave a representative sample from the wall of the hole from the surface to 6-8" down, then collect that for testing. A probe doesn't require all that extra digging. If you arent doing a lot of testing it is probably better to just use a shovel, specialty tools that are not used very often have a way of getting temporarily misplaced and then you spend a lot of time looking for them. In the meantime you could have just used a shovel and been done!

 

[FarmerDan]

Buy a probe! Buy a probe. It's the first step to collecting valid usable soil samples. Stainless steel. They come in various lengths. You can buy a good one for less than $100 and for all the money and money we spend collecting soil samples and then acting of the test results the cost is well worth it. The foot pedal saves the trouble of pushing the tube into difficult profiles. The longer the tube the more you will like it, especially if you have an old back like mine. If you don't mind the bend you can save a couple bucks with a shorter tube...but in my opinion...nothing less than 30-inches. After you make a decision on sample depths put a hose clamp at the bottom of the tube so that the bottom edge is at maximum sampling depth.

 

[SD51555]

I've got and stainless steel one hanging on the wall I don't use anymore. If you're anywhere near northern MN, you can have it.

Backup idea, if you're in ag country, see if you can just borrow one from a crop consultant or co-op in their offseason and bring it back an hour later squeaky clean with a case of beer or a package of pepper sticks. If you're gonna keep on testing, might as well get one. I quit using mine after I got a baseline for pH and base saturation all over my property. From there, the useful info never changes.

 

[FarmerDan]

I've got and stainless steel one hanging on the wall I don't use anymore. If you're anywhere near northern MN, you can have it.

Backup idea, if you're in ag country, see if you can just borrow one from a crop consultant or co-op in their offseason and bring it back an hour later squeaky clean with a case of beer or a package of pepper sticks. If you're gonna keep on testing, might as well get one. I quit using mine after I got a baseline for pH and base saturation all over my property. From there, the useful info never changes.

This is absolutely correct! I can't tell you how much beer and jerky I have gotten in exchange for letting my friends use my probe! Somehow, that doesn't sound right but I digress. Buy the probe and get the extended befits of ownership...plus it saves the hassle of finding a friend and then needing to buy beer and snacks!

 

[Hoytvectrix]

If you're only submitting a few soil samples a year, I would just buy a cheap one from Amazon or your favorite online retailer.

If you are planning on submitting a couple dozen soil samples per year, I would definitely consider a side-eject one like @FarmerDan had suggested. I'm partial to the KHS model.

 

[Foggy47]

I finally bought one two years ago. Bought about a 2 footer of S.S. and it works pretty good for me. As Dan says....spend a few bucks more and buy a good one with a foot peg.....you'll have it (and use it) for a long time. I get by without the foot peg....but wish I had one. Saves guessing that you are collecting a decent sample (when using a shovel).

 

[TreeDaddy]

This is absolutely correct! I can't tell you how much beer and jerky I have gotten in exchange for letting my friends use my probe! Somehow, that doesn't sound right but I digress. Buy the probe and get the extended befits of ownership...plus it saves the hassle of finding a friend and then needing to buy beer and snacks!

.......and......we get to argue test results/interpretations ad nauseam

bill