Starting with a soil test

Opinion

Related Photos

David Cantrell

February 15, 2013

Starting with a soil test

By David Cantrell OSU Extension Educator The McAlester News-Capital Fri Feb 15, 2013, 06:31 PM CST

OKLAHOMA CITY — The soil test provides a starting place for a soil improvement program for the home gardener. Unless you know the problems in your garden soil, you are only guessing when you apply fertilizer. The guessing method in some cases causes you to spend excess money on unneeded fertilizer.

Use a soil probe, spade or shovel to sample the soil profile to a depth of eight-to-12 inches. It is important to obtain a representative sample of the soil in the root zone rather than only the surface soil. It is generally advisable to take several samples (at least 10) around the garden area, and then mix thoroughly in a clean bucket or pail. This gives a representative sample of the entire garden area.

From the pail or bucket, select about a pint of soil. Special soil bags are available from your local county extension office. You may also use a clean milk carton, ice cream container or a good plastic zip lock bag. Make sure the container or bag is labeled with your name, address, and information on the garden crops to be grown. If you send more than one sample, be sure to clearly label each sample.

If you suspect a particular area in your garden is extremely different than the rest, or if you have a problem area, include that area as a separate sample. Be sure to label the sample as such. Once your soil sample is collected, it will be sent to the Oklahoma State University soil testing lab.

Recommendations will then be made on the amounts of fertilizer to use on your garden area.

For more information on soil testing contact your local OSU Extension Office.

David Cantrell is the Extension

Agriculture Educator for the Pittsburg County Oklahoma Cooperative

Extension Service. Contact him

at 918-423-4120 or david.cantrell@okstate.edu.

Text Only | Photo Reprints

Opinion

Eufaula Classic crossed the line
Aggression cross the line into violence Saturday at the 29th annual Lake Eufaula All-Star Classic, but who's to blame?

May 21, 2013 3 Photos
Want better roads? Vote 'yes'
McAlester’s roads are a mess. There’s no question about that. But it’s up to voters Tuesday to fix the problem anytime in the near future.

May 11, 2013 1 Photo 1 Story
District 7 state Sen. Larry Boggs, R-Red Oak: Capitol Report
Hi neighbors.
According to Oklahoma’s Constitution, the Legislature must conclude its work by no later than 5 p.m. on the last Friday in May. But that hasn’t always been the case.

May 8, 2013 1 Photo
Jason Collins should open floodgates
The life of every gay athlete got a whole lot easier Monday, when center Jason Collins became the first openly gay player in the NBA. Collins, a free agent when this season ends, played for the Boston Celtics and then Washington Wizards this season.

April 30, 2013 1 Photo
Joy destroyed at Boston Marathon
The crowds have always made the Boston Marathon a joyful event to watch, and probably also in which to participate. All those good vibes were lost on Monday when terrorists detonated two bombs near the race’s finish line, killing three and wounding approximately 175 more.

April 16, 2013 2 Photos
Rutgers must purge itself of Mike Rice
Rutgers University took its first step forward on Monday when it chose former dean Carl Kirschner to take over as temporary athletic director following the resignation of Tim Pernetti. Kirschner will have to find a full-time AD, who will then have to find a men’s basketball coach to replace the disgraced Mike Rice.

April 9, 2013
District 7 state Sen. Larry Boggs, R-Red Oak: Capitol Report
Last week was a slow one in the Senate as we were still waiting for House bills to be assigned to Senate committees. March 28th is the first deadline for double-assigned House bills. We then have until April 4th to take action on single-assigned bills and until April 11th to report double-assigned bills out of committee.

April 4, 2013 1 Photo
Editorial:
It looks as though the state’s prison employees are getting the short end of the stick — again.
Tuesday, the House tabled a bill that would have given all state prison workers a 5 percent pay hike. Starting pay for correctional officers would have gone to $14 per hour, up from a staggering-low of $11.83.

March 18, 2013
Most passive immunity occurs in the first 6 Hours
As calving season continues in Pittsburg County, let’s re-visit the importance of passive immunity via colostrum (mother’s milk).

February 27, 2013
State fifth highest in sales tax rates
There was a time when the federal government relied on income taxes for its revenue stream, state and local government got sales taxes, and county government and schools relied on property taxes.

February 20, 2013
More Opinion Headlines

Opinion

Search Results

Related Photos

Starting with a soil test

Site Map

Contact Us