I am often asked, "When is a good time to take soil samples?" Actually, there is no bad time to take soil samples, unless it is immediately following heavy rains when the soils are saturated. It does not matter whether you are a farmer or a homeowner; now is the most ideal time of the year to take soil samples. This is especially true if you experienced problems with plants you grew this past season, if you will be planting new or different crops this coming year, or if your soils have not been sampled within the past two to three years.

Whether you are a farmer or not, I urge you to pay special attention to the information I share with you in this column today. The condition of your soils is important if you are a farmer growing any kind of crop and you expect to make a profit, if you are not a farmer but you own farmland and you want to make sure the soils on your farm remain in good condition, if you have a small home vegetable garden, if you try to maintain an attractive landscape, if you are in the business of developing and maintaining landscapes for others, or if you just own a few prize plants such as pecan trees or grapevines.

Your soils must be in good condition or your plants may not do what you expect them to do. You will never know the condition of your soils unless you periodically take good soil samples. Your plants will do their best when you follow the recommendations from the soil analysis.

Here in North Carolina, we are very fortunate that the North Carolina Department of Agriculture provides soil sample analysis at no cost for citizens of the state. This includes all citizens, not just farmers.

Although there is no bad time to take soil samples, this time of the year is the most ideal time. The soil labs in Raleigh are not yet overwhelmed with thousands of samples that will be sent in by farmers this winter when they finish harvesting their crops and start planning for the coming year. Soil samples sent to the lab at this time of the year will be processed within a few days, and you will not have to wait for weeks and weeks to get the results.

Most importantly, by taking samples at this time of the year, you can get the results early enough that you will have plenty of time to prepare for next year's growing season. If your soils are acid and lime is needed, you can apply lime this fall, so it will have time to become activated by the time your plants start growing next spring. You will know ahead of time what fertilizers or plant nutrients are needed, so you can make plans in advance to purchase and apply only what is needed. If there are special problems with your soils, you will know in advance what needs to be done, so you can get the soils back into condition.

You might ask, "Why are soil samples so important?" Soils are the very foundation of plant life. Without proper soils, plants cannot grow as they should. Here in Robeson County, most of our soils tend to be acid because of the mineral composition of the soils. If soils are too acid, plants cannot grow properly. Although enough fertilizer may be applied, plants will not be able to provide top yields. Many soil-applied herbicides will not control weeds as well as they should. Plants will be weakened and be more susceptible to diseases and insects, causing even more problems.

If soils are too acid, agricultural lime can be applied to bring the pH up to the level that is needed. Just as important, if the soils are not acid and lime is applied anyway, the pH may become too high, which will create other problems. You will never know if lime is needed or not unless you periodically take good soil samples.

All plants require a certain amount of nutrients or fertilizer. Plants will do poorly if they do not receive enough nutrients or if they receive an unbalanced amount of nutrients. Crops may be injured if too much fertilizer is applied. Over applying fertilizer materials will definitely be a waste of money, and it creates environmental problems when excess nutrients are leached into our groundwater or run off into our surface waters.

Although there is no charge to have soil samples analyzed, you must gather the samples and send them to the lab in Raleigh. All the supplies you need can be obtained from my office. My agricultural agents and I would welcome the opportunity to teach you how to take good soil samples and will help you understand the soil reports when you receive them from the lab. We will even help you get your samples delivered to the lab in Raleigh. Just give us a call at 671-3276 or stop by our office at the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center, which is located on Highway 72 West.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 10/28/08