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How to Use a Ferry Morse Soil Test
How to Use a Ferry Morse Soil Test. Soil testers are a necessary tool in helping gardeners establish healthy garden soil. Soil should be tested in the spring and fall and anytime you add any amendments. Soil can be analyzed by a professional organization or through a university extension office. Fortunately, the home gardener can just as easily...
Soil testers are a necessary tool in helping gardeners establish healthy garden soil. Soil should be tested in the spring and fall and anytime you add any amendments. Soil can be analyzed by a professional organization or through a university extension office. Fortunately, the home gardener can just as easily complete a soil analysis. The Ferry Morse soil test is inexpensive and easily completed. This test contains four test tubes and four capsules containing powders that individually test for nitrogren, phosphorus, potassium and pH.
Things You'll Need
Bucket
Shovel
Remove a small amount of soil, about 1/4 cup, with a shovel from four different sections of the garden area you are testing.
Place the soil samples into a bucket and mix slightly with the tip of the shovel.
Add a pinch of soil to each test tube.
Add water to tubes, filling about 3/4 full.
Add test powder from each capsule into each tube.
Let the test tubes sit for 10 minutes so the soil can settle.
Compare the test tube solution color to the scale included with the kit to determine pH, nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium levels in the soil.
Use the results to analyze what amendments to add to the soil.
Tips & Warnings
If the result in test tube is clear, this likely means the soil is very low in that element.
