For Healthier Lawns and Gardens
and a Cleaner Chesapeake Bay...
Test
Your
Soil
Go to: extension.umd.edu/hgic/
soils/soil-testing for soil test
information.
Open the PDF titled List of Regional
Soil Testing Labs (HG 110a).
Select a soil testing lab from the list
and click on the link to go directly to
the lab’s website.
Order the basic soil test that gives
readings for soil pH (acidity/alkalinity),
calcium, phosphate, potassium, and
magnesium levels. Some labs include
lead in their basic test. If you’re
planting a vegetable garden, ask for
a lead test.
Follow the labs instructions for taking
and submitting soil samples. Collect
separate samples for lawn and
garden areas.
Follow These
5 EASY STEPS
Ask an Expert
Contact the Home and Garden Information Center
if you have questions about how to take a soil sample
or about the results and recommendations you receive
from the lab. Go to:
extension.umd.edu/hgic and
click on the Get Help tab.
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When to Test Your Soil
New Lawns: Test after grading, but before seeding.
Vegetable Gardens: Test every three years.
Established Lawns, Landscape Plants, and
Perennial Gardens:
Test every 3-4 years.
It’s best to test in the fall.
Did You Know?
No special kits or bags are requiredjust a clean
plastic bag.
Costs vary from $9 - $20 per sample for the basic test.
Results are typically available in about two weeks.
The results will include recommendations for fertilizer
and lime, if needed.
For lawns only: Follow Maryland’s Lawn Fertilizer
Law and apply nitrogen to lawns based on University
of Maryland guidelines, not the recommendation
provided by the lab. Visit: extension.umd.edu/hgic/
plants/fertilizing-lawns for instructions.
Follow These
5 EASY STEPS
Why Should I Have My Soil Tested?
Soil testing takes the guesswork out of
gardening and lawn care.
A soil test can help you diagnose plant
and lawn problems
and determine what
type of plants to grow.
Lab results provide fertilizer/soil
amendment recommendations unique to your
lawn or garden.
Soil testing saves money that might otherwise be
spent on unneeded products such as lime and fertilizer.
Soil testing helps protect streams, rivers, and the
Chesapeake Bay
from excess nutrients.
mda.maryland.gov/fertilizer
extension.umd.edu/hgic/soils/soil-testing
How Soil pH Affects Fertility
The soil’s pH level is important because it
influences a plant’s ability to absorb nutri-
ents from the soil. No amount of fertilizer
can make plants grow in soil that has the
wrong pH.
The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14. A pH of
7 is neutral. Soils with pH levels below 7.0 are acidic
and soils with pH levels above 7.0 are alkaline or basic.
Its a logarithmic scale: a soil pH of 6.0 is ten times
more acidic than a soil pH of 7.0.
Some plants prefer acidic soils and others grow best in
alkaline soils.
Most garden and landscape plants grow best in soils
with a pH of 5.5–7.0.
Lawns grow best in soil that is neutral to slightly acidic
(between 6.0 and 6.8).
Acid-loving plants like azaleas, rhododendrons, and
blueberries grow best in soils with a pH of 4.5 to 5.5.
The pH level for vegetable gardens should be in the
6.2-6.8 range. Soil pH can be lowered by adding sulfur
or raised by adding limestone based on your soil test
recommendations.
Grow Smarter Know Your Soil
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