What Farmers and Gardeners Need to Know About Soil Testing (Part I-At Home Assessments and Soil pH)

LINKS TO RESOURCES MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE
Microbial Analysis for Growers Online Course (host's website)
USDA-NRCS Flow Chart to Determine Soil Texture by Feel (unaffiliated site)
NAPT Participating Laboratories (unaffiliated site)

ABOUT EPISODE 6
Host Mary Lucero discusses:

• soil assessments you can perform at home to guide growing decisions
• the use of microscopes to analyze soil microorganisms
• analyzing soil texture by feel
• the strengths and the limits of self-assessments
• the rationale for professional soil laboratory analysis.  

Factors about soil laboratory testing mentioned in the podcast include:

• the choice of a competant soil laboratory
• parameters most growers will want to measure
• soil pH as a universal factor included in most commercial soil tests

Additional soil testing parameters, including Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC), base saturation, macronutrients, and micronutrients will be covered in Part II.


ABOUT THE CORNERSTONES OF HEALTHY FOOD SYSTEMS
The Cornerstones of Healthy Food Systems podcast is produced by End-O-Fite Enterprises LLC (endofite.com) and is typically hosted by Dr. Mary Lucero.

This podcast strives to raise awareness of actions each of us can take to increase food security by building healthy food systems within our area of influence.  You can support the podcast when you buy any of our online courses or purchase from affiliates in our online marketplace.

ABOUT END-O-FITE ENTERPRISES LLC
End-O-Fite Enterprises LLC is a small business that provides information, products,  and services to: 

• build healthy soils.
• support healthy microbiomes (from the soil to the gut)
• complement good nutrition.
• learn about the cornerstones of healthy food systems.

The Cornerstones of Healthy Food Systems Podcast Introduction by David Lucero.
Theme music by Zakhar Valaha 

This version was updated in summer, 2023, when we decided to remove the cornerstones.endofite.com website reference.  The only change was to remove the word cornerstones from the website reference. 

This podcast is created and produced by End-O-Fite Enterprises LLC.

The podcast is supported when you purchase our products and services, or when you purchase products from our affiliates. Affiliate links may be found in the show notes and on our virtual marketplace.

Visit our market to find:

• virtual course offerings
• great books on any topic
• nutritional supplements and more to keep you healthy

Chapters

• 0:58 Assess Your Own Soil at Home
• 2:27 Online Course Teaches Farmers and Gardeners How to Analyze Soil Microbiology at Home
• 2:55 Soil Aromas Can Offer Valid Health Indicators
• 4:03 The Feel of Your Soil Indicates the Texture
• 4:34 Free Flow Chart Helps you Determine Soil Texture Precisely
• 5:38 Laboratory Testing Can Improve Crop Quality and Production
• 6:20 Choose a Soil Lab Carefully, Then Follow Their Directions for Sampling
• 7:39 Avoid Interpreting Various Soil Test Data Values in Isolation
• 8:27 pH is Among the Most Universal Measurements Included on Soil Tests
• 9:32 Acidic Soils are Found in Areas that Receive a Lot of Rainfall
• 9:53 Alkaline (Basic) Soils are Found in Dry Climates
• 10:15 Plants Grow Best in Neutral Soils Where Nutrients Are Bioavailable
• 11:55 Alkaline Soils Often Lack Iron, Copper, Zinc, and other Micronutrients
• 14:39 Summary