Soil Testing

[Theresa_F]

The field I have is getting covered in creeping buttercup and other weeds and although was fertalised this year, not a huge amount of grass.

I have asked YO if I can arrange a soil sample, we are on heavy Essex clay and wonder if there is a problem with it.

Can you lovely folks let me know the best way to do it, ie what company to use or if you DIY, the best kit to buy. YO does not want to spent a huge amount on this and was quoted £100 each paddock - the paddocks are about 2 acres each.

 

[zoeshiloh]

It depends how you want to go about it - companies such as Frontier, Hutchinsons, Envirofield etc can send out specialist teams to do soil cores (how deep do you want to go?).

Alternatively, you can get a soil corer yourself, take a sample and send it off to an analyst company such as NRM.

I test a lot of soil all over the country - we use a 90cm corer and a very big mallet! We split the samples into 0-30cm 30-60cm and 60-90cm and then send them to NRM - costs vary depending on what you want it tested for. You can test for anything and everything, so make sure you know what you want. A general soil test costs about £5 for them to analyse, up to around £50 for more complex results (ie % of trace minerals and elements etc).

With clay soil I would say you would struggle to get a 90cm core manually, although for your purpose (grassland) 60cm would be more than sufficient.

 

[Faithkat]

If you have a Countrywide store near you they do soil testing

 

[Theresa_F]

Thanks for the help. I want to avoid putting more feed and weed killer on the field until I know if it is the soil that is a problem and it needs dealing with first.

 

[Choccie]

We have a lot of buttercup and just had the soil pH tested and the field is now going to have a lime treatment. Buttercups like acidic soil and pasture should be near neutral pH. We contacted an agricultural liming company, they will test for you and advise on the amount of lime needed.

 

[T-Bag]

I was told buttercup is a lack on lime, I want my testing come spring.

I found this, but haven't used them

http://www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-79MDEX#prices

 

[amandap]

ph test is probably the most important and you can do this yourself with a soil testing kit from a graden centre. Do walk a W shape on the field to sample and dig down don't use soil off the top. Liming if the soil is acid is the single most helpful thing you can do imo.

 

[zoeshiloh]

A lot of weeds thrive in acid rich, nutrient poor soils, so lime is good for getting rid of things like buttercups. I advise testing soil for a proper nutrient makeup, you can then approach your local farm-trader, hand them your soil analysis and they will blend a fertiliser specifically to suit your field, meaning that you are getting what you pay for, rather than keep dosing it with 20:10:10 every year like most people. By continually dosing with minerals you do not need, you can actually have the opposite effect and the soil locks away nitrogen (and other minerals) and makes it less available to grass, meaning you can fertilise all you like but you are not benefiting the soil/grass in any way whatsoever.