Extension Search / Soil Labs / New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Extension Soil Testing Service
University of New Hampshire Extension runs New Hampshire’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 New Hampshire Extension
Durham, New Hampshire
- Basic test
- Organic matter
- Nitrate
- Salts
- Micronutrients
- Texture
- Lead and metals
Results take about three weeks after the lab gets the sample.
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.
- 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 Standard Gardening test includes a lead screen.
- Mail the sample, or drop it in the blue bins outside Barton Hall on weekdays. A 24-hour drop box in the Sage Way lot takes soil only.
- Forms are online, and the lab gives in-person help on Tuesdays.
Sources: [1] [2]
Out of State
The lab’s site doesn’t say whether it takes samples from other states. Ask before sending one.
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 New Hampshire Extension office can help you take the sample and read the report.
Results
Other States
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