University of Minnesota Soil Testing Laboratory

This lab uses:

• Phosphorus: Olsen or Bray P1, depending on the soil. Sodium bicarbonate. Made for alkaline, high-lime soils like most of the West. Made for acid to neutral soils. It reads low on high-lime soils.

Using different tests for different nutrients is normal. The soil test calculator lets you pick the test for each one.

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.

• 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.
• Nitrate. Nitrate nitrogen in the soil now. Most useful in dry climates, where it carries over winter.
• Salts. Soluble salts (EC), and sodium where salt or poor drainage is a problem.
• Micronutrients. Zinc, iron, manganese and copper, sometimes boron.
• Texture. Sand, silt and clay, which sets how fast water drains and how much the soil holds.
• Lead and metals. Lead and other metals, worth testing in old yards and near old buildings.

• The Regular Test covers phosphorus, potassium, pH with lime need, organic matter and an estimate of texture.
• The lab reports Olsen or Bray phosphorus, so check which one is on your report.
• Mail the sample with payment and the Lawn & Garden request sheet, or drop it off in St. Paul.
• Out-of-state soil is accepted unless it comes from a USDA soil quarantine area.

Sources: [1] [2]

This lab takes samples from other states.

• 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 Minnesota Extension office can help you take the sample and read the report.

Once the report comes back, type the numbers into the soil test calculator to see what to add for your bed or lawn. The soil test guide walks through each line of the report.

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