It is amazing that people spend thousands of dollars on their landscapes and never test the soil to make sure it has the proper nutrients for plant growth. Why spend hundreds or thousands of dollars on plants and never make sure the proper nutrients are available for them to grow properly? It seems ridiculous, but it happens every day.

In order to solve problems that may be related to plant nutrition or to make sure plants have all the nutrients they need, soil testing is recommended. Soil testing is a free service offered by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (NCDA&CS). Soil testing is performed in Raleigh at the NCDA&CS Agronomic Division Soil Testing Lab. Soil testing is not provided by North Carolina Cooperative Extension. However, since NC Cooperative Extension and NCDA&CS work closely together, you will find soil test boxes and information sheets at all NC Cooperative Extension Centers across the state.

Soil testing will not tell you anything about plant diseases or if soil-borne diseases are present. Soil testing tells you if proper nutrients are there to grow the plants you have indicated on the sample sheet. If they are not, recommendations are made to correct the deficiencies.

For the complete article, please pick up a copy of The Daily Reflector or purchase today’s electronic edition at http://www.reflector.com/circ-store. Current home delivery and electronic edition subscribers may log in to access this article at no charge. To become a subscriber, please click here or contact Customer Service at (252) 329-9505.