Extension Search / Soil Labs / Georgia
University of Georgia Soil, Plant & Water Laboratory
University of Georgia runs Georgia’s public soil testing program. Send a soil sample and you get back your pH and nutrient levels, and what each number means for your plants.
Lab Details
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
- Basic test
- Organic matter
- Micronutrients
- CEC
- Lead and metals
Open the lab's site for fees, forms and the mailing address.
Test Methods
The lab’s site doesn’t say which tests it runs. Ask before you send a sample, and check your report.
Labs pull nutrients out of soil with different chemicals, and each one gives a different number for the same soil. 20 ppm on one test and 20 ppm on another don’t mean the same thing, so check which test your report used before you compare it to a chart.
Tests
- Basic test. pH, phosphorus and potassium, usually with calcium and magnesium. Enough for most gardens and lawns.
- Organic matter. How much organic matter the soil holds, which sets how much nitrogen it releases.
- Micronutrients. Zinc, iron, manganese and copper, sometimes boron.
- CEC. Cation exchange capacity: how many nutrients the soil can hold on to.
- Lead and metals. Lead and other metals, worth testing in old yards and near old buildings.
- The routine test covers pH, lime need, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, zinc and manganese.
- Air-dry the soil overnight, bag it in a UGA soil bag, and take it to your county Extension office.
- A mail-in kit with a prepaid mailer is sold through the UGA eStore.
Sources: [1] [2]
Out of State
This lab takes samples from other states.
Sample Tips
- Take 10 or more small cores across the area and mix them in a clean bucket. One spot tells you about one spot.
- Sample gardens and lawns about 6 inches deep, below any mulch or thatch.
- Keep beds that are grown differently, like a lawn and a vegetable garden, as separate samples.
- Wait a couple of months after fertilizing or liming, so the test reads the soil and not the last bag.
- Use the same lab and the same tests each time, so the numbers compare from year to year.
Your county Georgia Extension office can help you take the sample and read the report.
Results
Other States
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