Horticulture Hotline 11/11/2026
What is a great thing to do in the yard at this time of
year? Take a soil test! A soil test can tell you so much that is impossible to
tell by just looking at the ground. I have worked for and hung around some well
know Doctors of Agronomy (soil doctors) and not one of them can look at a soil
and tell you what a soil test can tell you.
Any of ya’ll that
know me would think that big, fat, bald dude would have to have high
cholesterol and high blood pressure; however, I do not (blessed with good
genes). I have a friend that is very athletic and thin, and he has high
cholesterol. My older brother once asked me, “Bill do you have high
cholesterol?” I said, “no.” He asked, “ever had it tested?” I said, “no.” He
asked, “so if you never have it tested, it means your cholesterol levels are
good?” I then went and got it tested.
What I am trying to illustrate is there is no substitute for
good soil testing. I have done some consulting for a school district in the Upstate
where they have red clay. The new grounds superintendent that contacted me
said, “the person before me put out 1000 pounds of lime an acre like everyone
does up here.” We tested the soil and found that they have been over applying
lime. From the small investment of a soil test, we were able to save about $100
per acre, the labor, the fuel, and wear and tear on the tractor. We were also
able to identify what the soil needed and devote the time and resources to
correct those deficiencies.
You can save money by putting out the products that your
yard needs and you will also see better results.
The soil test is going to provide you with a lot of
technical information. The basic test
that we run provides you with soil pH, buffer pH, available phosphorus,
exchangeable potassium, calcium, magnesium, Cation Exchange Capacity, and
percent base saturation with recommendations for nitrogen, phosphate, potash,
magnesium, and lime based on plant type and use. Depending on the site location, level of
maintenance, and client needs, we also test for other elements in the soil.
If the above paragraph made your eyes glaze over, we can
provide you with a program that will help correct any deficiencies or amend the
soil as suggested by the soil sample. We can also add cultural practices and recommendations
for timely applications of control products based on life cycles of insects,
weeds, and disease. When I go to the doctor and they take a blood test, I do
not know what they are testing for or what all the numbers mean. I trust them to interpret the results and put
me on a program (diet / exercise) to address any excesses or deficiencies. Then
I must follow their recommendations. Just this morning, looking at soil test
from the Charleston area, I saw a pH as low as 4 and one as high as 7.6
One of the many pleasures of my job is seeing a customer
that has done a soil test and have amended their soil appropriately, come into
the store with a picture of them by a “Yard of the Month” sign or just comment
on how much better their yard looks after taking a soil test and taking the
needed action.
Greg Lienert, a soil test customer wrote, “I started using
Possum’s recipe for my lawn 3 years ago and I have never had a better lawn in
the 35 years that I have been trying to grow the perfect lawn. Possum’s is
awesome! I have the best lawn in the neighborhood.”
My compost (cotton
burr) supplier’s motto is ‘There’s good compost. There’s cheap compost. But there ain’t no
good, cheap, compost’. You could apply
this saying to soil tests as well.
Bill Lamson-Scribner
can be reached during the week at Possum’s Landscape and Pest Control Supply
(follow us on Facebook). Possum’s has three locations
