Gift your favorite gardener a soil test

By Bonnie Orr
WSU Chelan/Douglas County Master Gardener

hands cupping soil
Soil is a dynamic mixture of mineral particles, organic matter, water and air. These components interact in a complex web of relationships that support plant growth. – Unsplash/Gabriel Jimenez
Bonnie Orr
Bonnie Orr – WSU Extension Chelan/Douglas County Master Gardener – photo by Don Seabrook, Wenatchee World

There is something wrong with my soil. I cannot grow a thing. What can I add to the soil?

I have often heard this comment voiced by an earnest but frustrated gardener. My response is, “Have you had your soil tested?”

A soil test encompasses many features, and a basic measure of soil fertility indicates how much available nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium is in the soil. These are the macro-nutrients you add when you buy lawn and garden fertilizer.

I am amazed how often someone’s soil test indicates excess nitrogen levels; you know the adage: “If a little is good, more is better!” This is not true, of course.

If you purchase a soil test, you will not be wasting your money and time buying and applying unneeded supplements to the soil. The soils in North Central Washington naturally contain sufficient levels of phosphorous, and the additional amounts you pour on your garden can wash into rivers and streams. Very little potassium is needed for healthy plant growth.

I know it is hard to believe, but the most effective fertilizers are 5-0-3, not the 16-16-16 or the 20-0-20 sold in 50-pound bags.

Most gardeners know about pH, which indicates the acidity or the alkalinity of the soil. This affects how plants draw up nutrients from the soil. Our soils are alkaline or at best neutral. Why diddle with it, and instead grow plants that thrive in alkaline or neutral soils? Yes, you can add acid fertilizers for those blueberries and rhododendrons, but you are walking a fine line of over-fertilizing to create the level of acidity you think you want to create. My experience is that blueberries, rhodies and their kin thrive in neutral soil in our area. The bottom line is you cannot change the entire pH of your garden and hope to maintain it.

All of this indicates that you would be time and money ahead if you purchase a soil test. What a fabulous Christmas gift this would be for your favorite gardener.

There are many soil tests available. You can purchase them online. They have a range of tests to buy. Purchase a comprehensive, complete test because it will guide your gardening practice for years to come.

Here are some soil testing companies that fellow Master Gardeners have used with satisfying results. WSU Chelan Douglas Master Gardeners do not endorse or suggest you use any specific company.

Soil Savvy

Kennewick, 509-525-3370
info@mysoilsavvy.com
mysoilsavvy.com

UMass Soil and Plant Tissue Testing Laboratory, Amherst, Mass.,

413-545-2311
soiltest@umass.edu
bit.ly/soiltestumass

Simple Soil Testing

Burlington, 360-202-1086,
service@simplytesting.com
simplysoiltesting.com

So, the answer to a soil test is most often that there is nothing basically wrong with the soil. Find out how to use your soil effectively by purchasing a soil test as a Christmas gift. Then we can talk about the texture of the soil, the drainage, the irrigation, and finally, the sun exposure. We can have a real conversation about happy gardening when you share results of your soil test by emailing the WSU Chelan-Douglas Master Gardeners at AskaMasterGardener@chelandouglasmg.org.

A WSU Chelan and Douglas County Master Gardener column appears weekly in The Wenatchee World. To learn more, visit bit.ly/MGchelandouglas or call 509-667-6540.