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Soil quality is important if you want your plants to grow tall and healthy. Even if you don't plan on having a succulent garden, all plants need food, light and water to grow. Even if you think you have "good" soil overall, there is still room for improvement. Without a soil test, you don't know what nutrients your soil has in abundance and what nutrients your plants need.
Soil test kits are the easiest and most accurate way to reduce your indecision and determine the types of nutrients your plants and soil need. Testing the soil with the kit is simple and easy. A good soil test kit can help you find out what's good enough in your soil and what you need to grow a star garden this year.
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The best soil test kits
Expert: I have been a gardener since 2015, with everything from sweet herbs to beautiful pumpkins to beautiful flowers. I live on a 20 acre farm where we grow organic herbs and vegetables, collect lots of compost and create wildlife habitat.
As a sustainability and gardening writer for home and outdoor publications like BobVila.com, I've used a variety of soil test kits to determine soil quality and properly supplement our gardens without harming nature.
What to look for when buying soil test kits
What does a soil survey suggest?
Although they come in many forms, soil test kits test your garden for nutrients and other factors necessary for plant growth, including pH, moisture and sunlight. Garden equipment manufacturers typically refer to these desirable items as "ingredients." Most test suites allow you to test multiple components. Some of the most common things gardeners do with soil test kits are:
Nutrients: Plants need nutrient-rich soil to grow, so many soil test kits focus on testing soil nutrient levels. Most of them look for the "macronutrients" that plants need most, such as potassium and nitrogen. Many also test for micronutrients such as iron and zinc, which plants need in small amounts but are essential for the growth of a thriving garden.
Home food test kits are usually based on a basic set of macronutrient tests. "Professional" lab kits that require sending soil samples to a company lab test for a wider range of trace elements. Some kits also detect additional components such as organic matter and carbon that do not directly contribute to plant growth, but affect nutrient retention in the soil. skills
pH: Testing the pH of your soil indicates how alkaline or acidic it is. Most plants prefer a neutral soil—7 pH—but your ideal results may vary depending on what you're trying to grow. Some plants and trees, such as lavender and cherry blossoms, prefer slightly alkaline soil. Others, such as blueberries and dogwoods, prefer more acidic soil.
Temperature : Checking the soil temperature will help you determine the best time to plant new seeds. This is a valuable feature if you're not sure if it's warm enough to land on.
Light: Not all soil test kits measure light levels, but they are useful if you want to know if a plant in a particular area is getting little, medium, or full sunlight.
Moisture: Some soil test kits also measure soil moisture, although this can vary due to rain or irrigation. However, measuring moisture according to the test kit instructions can help determine how well the soil is holding moisture.
test format
Soil test kits are available in a variety of formats. Different species are best for certain soil types. In addition, some gardeners prefer analog or digital tests.
Paper strips: The simplest test in the kit, the paper is usually made specifically for pH testing. To use, mix the soil with water and then dip a strip of paper into the mixture, changing color depending on the pH level. (Don't worry, a chart is included with the test so you can check your results.)
Chemistry: Soil chemistry tests allow you to test for nutrients by testing soil pH with water and a reagent. Simply mix a small amount of soil into the solution and wait for the color to change and the available nutrients to become visible.
Some chemistry kits have digital readouts that show you the results without checking the color code legend, giving you more accurate pH test results. These tests are more expensive, but you can use them multiple times and optimize your testing process.
Analogue: Analogue test probes allow you to quickly check pH, moisture and light levels by sticking a small metal spike into the soil. They only test a limited number of ingredients and can't test your soil for nutrients, but they give a very quick reading. Because analog testers don't need disposable chemical cells or batteries, they're also the most rugged and durable option of the bunch.
Professional: Some test kits even allow you to take a soil sample and send it to a lab for professional testing. As you might expect, these tests provide the most information, including pH, nutrients, and carbon metabolism. They are also more accurate than any home test kit.
test accuracy
Soil test accuracy may vary from kit to kit. The best way to ensure test accuracy is to rely on laboratory testing. However, lab tests take longer and are more expensive, so they are not always the best option. If you're using the home test, I recommend taking several measurements in different areas of your yard so you can see how conditions vary and get average results for your entire property.
However, there are a few things you can do to make sure your home test gives you the most accurate readings:
Check the end date of the test
Check if the kit allows you to run multiple tests to verify the results.
Follow the test instructions carefully
Look at different plots of land
get results
The time required to submit the results of each soil test also varies from batch to batch. Chemical and paper strip tests take a few minutes to produce results and require up to 24 hours for the solution to settle. Analog and digital tests may be faster, but may take several minutes. Of course, the longest is the lab test, which is usually at least a week.
No matter how you take the test, be patient and make sure you follow the instructions to get the most accurate results possible. If the kit says to leave the solution for 20 minutes, set a timer. Results may not be accurate after 30 minutes.
How we rated the best soil test kits
I relied on a combination of personal testing and research to select the best soil test kits. I have personally tested several of these strains in my garden. The ones I haven't personally tested are listed on Amazon and other retailers based on functionality and user reviews.
Soil test kit
With this professional test kit from MySoil, you can take a soil sample at home and send the results with prepaid shipping to a professional lab that will upload the results to the app within 6-8 business days.
Although time-consuming, the test can measure soil pH and check for 12 other nutrients, including nitrogen, calcium, zinc, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, sodium, manganese, sulfur, copper, and boron.
One thing to remember: MySoil uses a smartphone app to deliver your test results. Results cannot be accessed without using the app. Also, there is only one test per kit, so you should buy several kits to test different gardens or areas of your garden.
1602 Soil analysis kit
This paper strip kit from Luster Leaf comes with 20 tests that test your soil's pH, nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium levels. (Larger sets of 25 or 40 tests are also available).
The number of tests allows you to test multiple beds or areas to get an accurate reading of nutrient levels. This means you can test the soil before and after adding nutrients to make sure your levels look good over time.
One thing to keep in mind is that the pH test gives results within minutes, but the food test takes 24 hours to get an accurate reading.
soil tester
Although this Kensizer Soil Tester does not measure soil nutrient levels, it can quickly determine your soil's pH and moisture levels. Results will be displayed in about 1 minute, so you can start gardening right away.
Since the tester is analog, it can be reused and does not require a battery to operate. You can use it anytime on any site. (Be sure to clean the probes after use.)
The disadvantage of this kit is that it does not measure sunlight in addition to collecting nutritional data. (Many analog tests measure sunlight in addition to pH and humidity.) Still, it's so cheap and easy to use that it's a great addition to any gardener's toolbox.
soil pH meter
If you need to measure pH, humidity and light, this Sonkir probe is an attractive and cost-effective option. Like our pH test option, it's reusable, easy to use, and requires no batteries. Analog tests are usually the most portable and ideal for indoor and outdoor plant testing.
Sonkir takes about 10 minutes longer, although it does an additional test and costs a bit less than my pH test. 10 minutes isn't too long, but you might prefer to read faster when you're not planting new seeds.
Soil test kit
If you're looking for a more complete test kit that includes both nutrients and a pH test, this kit has 13 different nutrients and everything you need to test soil pH. As my top pick, Soil Savvy is a lab test, so you'll get accurate results, but the test is more expensive and takes seven to 10 days.
The report also provides fertilizer recommendations based on your results so you know what to do next. It's a slow but thorough test, perfect when you need someone to tell you exactly what your soil needs to support healthy plants.
Soil test kit 1665
This Bright Leaf chemistry test kit contains 50 test kits for four pH, nitrogen, potassium and phosphate, ideal for those who need to test several areas over a long period of time. With this much testing, you can regularly test different areas in some gardens during the growing season.
Tests show results within minutes, so you don't have to wait for lab results. It also comes with a handy portable carrying case, so you don't have to find a place to store everything and you can easily experiment from garden to garden.
Digital Soil Analysis Kit 1605
This Luster Leaf battery-operated chemical soil tester makes it easy to test soil pH, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. Simply mix the dirt with purified water in a test tube and add the reagent capsule. Place the vial in the slot of the digital reader and press the button corresponding to the component you want to check.
Unlike standard chemistry tests, this test provides clear results that you can read without a color-coding chart. Misreading the chart at the end of the test can result in adding too much or too little fertilizer to the soil, which can do more harm than good to your garden.
The system is not perfect. The reader is reusable, but only comes with 25 reagent capsules. You can technically buy extra capsules through the LusterLeaf website, but you have to fill out a form and pay by check or money order.
I also found that the test vials are small, which can make it difficult to add the reagent. However, the Luster Leaf 1605 digital test is fast, accurate, and takes the headache out of reading test results.
Soil test kit
Like the other lab test kits on this list, the SoilKit can test for a variety of nutrients and other components like potassium and phosphorus. However, it gets extra credit for testing some components that most kits don't test for, such as: B. Buffer pH, organic matter, and your soil's carbon exchange capacity (CEC).
A buffer pH test measures the "residual acidity" of your soil, which can be specifically neutralized with lime. It gives more specific advice on whether and how much lime should be added to the soil.
Carbon storage capacity tests measure your soil's ability to hold nutrients and indicate whether it is a good or bad place for plants to grow. In low CEC soil, you will likely need to add more nutrients and test them more often to grow your entire garden because the soil does not retain nutrients for very long.
Finally, the organic matter test measures plant debris, living biomass, feces, and decaying organisms (such as dead insects). Like CEC tests, organic matter testing can help you assess your soil's fertility.
If you are starting from scratch with a new garden, this test will help determine if your soil is ready for gardening. Not only will you see what nutrients are in the soil, but you will also get a general idea of the condition of the soil.
Q&A with gardening expert Jenn Ryan
PM: Can I test multiple areas with one kit?
JR: In addition to laboratory tests based on a single sample, most soil test kits provide enough material to test multiple areas with one kit. For some tests, such as Paper B, this means using multiple practice tests. Others, such as analog and digital tests, are reusable so you can test as many times as you like.
PM: Are soil test kits only for outdoor use?
JR: Most soil test kits are suitable for open soil beds and indoor containers. In particular, analog, digital, chemical, and paper strip tests work well on indoor and outdoor floors. In most cases, it does not make sense to test laboratory soil in pots. However, be sure to read the instructions on the kit you purchase, as they should indicate whether the test is for soil or not.
PM: When should I test the floor?
JR: I recommend testing in early spring, after the last threat of frost has passed, and before the first frosts in the fall. If you use a professional test, do it as soon as possible, especially in the spring. Many tests are usually done early in the growing season, which can cause delays in the lab.
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