# Best time to test soil



## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

I am thinking that I should test soils in my hay fields, is there a best time of year to test the soil?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Right now because fall is the best time to put lime down....most of the other amendments is good most anytime.

Regards, Mike


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Is soil testing something that should be done every year?


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## r82230 (Mar 1, 2016)

CowboyRam said:


> Is soil testing something that should be done every year?


Cowboy,

I tested ALL my fields for a couple of years, until I got my ph and fertility levels stabilized. Now, I only test the field(s) that I am reseeding to alfalfa and maybe one or two other ones, because I have 'dialed' in or got to know what I am removing and need to replace. I have found that what I have removed in one field is pretty close to what I have removed in other fields. This method had a learning curve, but works for me. At the price of fertilizer, soil tests are cheap IMHO, at least in MY area.

Larry


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## Hugh (Sep 23, 2013)

I test every year for 2-3 years, tissue test once per year and a pattern develops, and I guesstimate for a year or two and start over. Soil testing is so easy and cheap, that it is a no brainer.


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

One of the fundamentals of soil testing is to collect the samples to be analyzed at the same time of year. I prefer to collect soil samples in fall, as mentioned above, rather than in spring. Why?

Salts can cause the soil pH to decline- this is referred to as a salt-effected pH. During the spring and summer we are fertilizing our crops using salts such as potassium chloride, KMag (potassium magnesium sulfate), etc. Throughout the summer our soils tend to become drier. Adding fertilizer and drying of the soil slightly concentrates the salts in the soil. When we collect our soil samples in fall, the pH will be lower by 0.5 to 1.0 pH unit compared to samples collected in spring, because increased rainfall during winter and early spring months causes the salts to leach from the topsoil. Spring-collected samples will have a higher pH than fall-collected samples.

So, if you want consistency, always sample your soils during the same time of year. That way you won't be surprised with a radically different pH from one sampling time (season) to the next. I have a graph prepared in MS Power Point that shows the pH up in spring and down in fall over a three-year period, but I have not learned how to upload PP graphs into Photobucket in order to post them in HT.

One reason I sample my soils in fall is to be able to adjust the soil pH to the proper level for clover or alfalfa during late fall and early winter. I'd rather adjust my fall-collected sample pH using more lime than may be necessary, rather than not applying sufficient lime based on a spring-collected soil pH.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

OK, another question. How many samples do you do per field?


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## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Here is a guide I saw that looks pretty reasoanble.

https://catalog.extension.oregonstate.edu/sites/catalog/files/project/pdf/ec628.pdf

I usually take about 8 samples per ten acres....the more the better, but usually that is all the time I spend on it.

Regards, Mike


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## swmnhay (Jun 13, 2008)

You may want to sample your field by soil type if the soils vary.Or by grid sampling the field in blocks of 2-5 acres if your fields vary much.


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## CowboyRam (Dec 13, 2015)

Thanks for the replies.

Jay


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## vhaby (Dec 30, 2009)

You may want to try a search in forums at the upper right (next to sign in.) Be sure to click the arrow and click forums. There have been many discussions about soil sampling/testing on HT.


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