You don’t need to be a chemist to start understanding the nutrients in your soil, and it can make a huge difference in your plant’s health to know what’s going on in your dirt.
Soil testing kits are easy to find at any gardening store, and they are very easy to use. There are two basic types: the dip strip and the tablet test. They both rely on colors to show you the amount of any given nutrient or mineral in your soil.
Basically, you just take a sample of your soil and add it to water. Then either add a tablet to the water or dip the test strip into the water. When the color changes, you compare it to the little chart provided in the kit. The darker the colors, the higher nutrient levels you have.
Test at least for nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus, and pH level (the acidity of your soil).Once you know what your soil is lacking, you can figure out the best fertilizers to get it into shape.
Chemical content isn’t the only thing you’ll want to be testing for. Soil drainage is pretty important too. Generally most plants like a loose soil that drains well. If your garden has clay-laden soil that is thick and holds on to water, your plants’ roots will soon suffer as they struggle for air. Best to check on the drainage before planting.
The usual way is to dig a 1-foot deep hole and fill it with water. Once it drains out completely, fill it up again. Now measure the water level in inches. Give it 15 minutes, then measure again. When you see how much it’s dropped, multiply that by 4 to see how many inches per hour. You want to see 1 to 6 inches per hour for most plants. Less than that, and you need to mix in loose compost, sand or wood shavings to help keep the water moving.