Most gardeners know that success depends on many factors: You can’t grow a sun-loving plant in a shady area, for example. And a shrub that loves wet places won’t do well in dry soil. But the most ...

When farmers talk about their soil test results, the conversation often starts and ends with soil pH. While that one number is important to determining whether lime is needed, that insight is just a ...

Agricultural soil testing can be used for many purposes, but the primary use is to determine whether lime and/or fertilizer is needed, and, if so, how much. The first step in soil testing is to ...

Is soil testing important? How can I get my soil tested? The first question is do you need a soil test? There are several situations where a soil test may be appropriate: 1. Landscaping a new home ...

One of the most common questions gardeners have is how to fertilize specific plants. Many plants have individual nutrient needs, but for all plants it is impossible to guess at what you need without ...

Test the soil before you buy another bag of lawn feed. A lawn sitting at pH 5.0 can be fed four times a year and still look ...

Anxious about the rueful state of his peas, radishes and onions, Rod Marquardt arrived at the University of Minnesota’s soil testing laboratory with two lunch bag-sized containers of dirt. “We’re just ...