Which Is The Best Farm Soil Test Kit?

Testing soil is a great way to work out what is the best thing to plant on your farm, and what you might potentially need to supplement your soil with. Having healthy soil is the key to growing good, strong, healthy crops that can turn you a great profit.

If you already know what your soil’s pH is then you are one step ahead of the game. Knowing what type your soil is means that you can plant the right types of plants that will be happy in your soil, and everyone’s a winner – happy plants, happy farmers!

The best farm soil testing kit can not only tell you what type of soil you have, but it can also help you to work out what types of plants will be happiest in your particular soil.

Farm Soil Test Kits (My Favorites)

To help you out, I have selected my top 3 farm soil test kits that help you determine what type of things you should be planting, and what will benefit your farm the best.

1. Luster Leaf 1601 Rapitest Soil Test Kit Review

This is a fantastically simple and easy to use kit, that will tell you the results of your soil testing very quickly.

Pros

• Easy to use and understand. The testing kit is super simple to work, and the results are very easy to interpret, meaning that you can easily work out what sort of soil you have and what it will grow the best.
• Small enough that it won’t take up any space in your shed. You won’t even notice this little kit sitting in your garden shed or cupboard! Its diminutive size also means that you can take it out and about with you, and test soil in different areas – at the allotment as well as your garden, for example.
• It carries a small price tag. Purchasing this kit won’t break your bank, unlike a lot of things that you can buy for the garden! This means that you can buy a few of them to test different soil areas.
• Perfect for helping your garden. By using this kit, you can determine what sort of nutrients your soil might need, and then add them to make a better growing environment for all your plants.

Cons

• Not as detailed as you might like. You can use this kit to test for soil deficiencies, but it might not tell you absolutely everything you want to know about your soil.

Recommendation

A great little soil testing kit for those starting out in the world of gardening and who want to know the best things to grow in their soil, and check what nutrients may need to be added.

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2. Luster Leaf 1605 Soil Test Kit Review

This is a smart little soil tester, that will be easy to interpret so you can work out the best things to do for your soil.

Pros

• Super simple and easy to use. All you need to do is press a button, and you will be given results for what the soil is deficient in, and what you can do to fix it – or what you can add to the soil to improve it.
• Comprehensive test results. Unlike some kits which only test for a few things, this tester will give you results from 25 tests – 10 for pH, an 5 each for Potash, Nitrogen and Phosphorus.
• Comes with instructions. With this testing kit, you can learn the preferences of over 450 plants, and how to adjust your soil and fertiliser additions to make specific plants grow well.
• Can be used over and over. Unlike some testing kits which use strips of paper like Litmus to record results, this electronic version can be kept safe in your shed and reused whenever necessary, thus saving you money in the long run.

Cons

• May not be the  most accurate tester. Some users report that the difference in light intensity can affect the readings of the tester!

Recommendation

All in all, this is a great, reusable soil testing kit, that can be kept safely in the shed and used for many years to keep your soil as healthy as it can be.

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3. Fivota Soil pH Meter FV03 Upgraded Large Screen Soil Tester

This is a super accurate soil tester, that can pick up minute differences in the soil, and will tell you what you can do to make the soil better and more hospitable for your favourite plants.

Pros

• Large display screen for accurate readings. Having a large screen means that you can read the results easily, and work out what is the best thing to do for your soil.
• 3 in 1 testing functions. This tester will not only test your soil’s pH, but also moisture levels and sunlight too. This is an unusually comprehensive testing kit, that will help make your garden as productive as it can be.
• Easy to use. Unlike some soil testing kits, this one is not too confusing, and the results are easy to interpret so you can improve your soil as much as you possibly can.
• Can be used for indoor and outdoor plants. This tester can be used for your garden, farm or allotment, as well as for the optimum health of your house plants too.

Cons

• The prongs are fragile. You have to be careful with how hard you shove the ends of this tester into the soil, as if you do it too roughly you run the risk of breaking off one of the prongs, rendering it useless.

Recommendation

A great soil tester, that will give you a holistic picture of the health of your soil, rather than just the acidity. This should help you grow plants better than ever before!

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Conclusion

Testing the soil on your farm is a really good idea. You can work out what your soil is deficient in, and therefore work out what you can supplement it with.

Testing your soil can also make you more aware of what the best plants to grow in your particular soil are, which will save you a lot of time, money and effort in the future. Testing the soil is the way forward!

Frequently Asked Questions

How much soil do you need for a soil test?

Usually, when you’re shipping off your soil sample to the lab, they’re looking for around two cups (1 pint) of soil. If you’ve got a soil test kit, just carefully follow the kit instructions. If you are not using a kit, a sandwich-sized plastic bag will do the trick. Be sure to fill it at least halfway.

What about greenhouse or compost materials how much should you send for a lab test?

For greenhouse media or compost, a full gallon-sized bag is the way to go. If you’re using a testing kit, follow the instructions closely. But here’s a heads-up, the regular soil fertility test is really intended for use with natural mineral soils. This type of testing isn’t the best fit for organic matter-based media like compost or potting soil.

Should you clean up your soil sample before shipping it to the lab?

You should usually take out the gravel, stones, roots, and such. Removing them makes it easier for the lab techs, and it keeps your package nice and light. On the other hand, if you’re asking for a topsoil evaluation or sieve analysis, leave the gravel and stones in the soil. This helps present a complete picture of the quality of your soil. If there is a lot of debris in your soil, include an extra cup of soil to be sure that the lab crew has enough material to work with. You may want to use a gallon-sized bag and fill it half full.

Why isn’t nitrogen (N) testing included in soil fertility tests?

Nitrogen doesn’t get a spotlight in standard soil tests because its inorganic forms are very changeable. They’re short-lived and vary greatly throughout the growing season. For this reason, when it comes to nitrogen, recommendations are more about what your crop needs for the season than they are about levels in the soil.

How can you determine the amount of nitrogen in your soil?

If need to pinpoint the amount of plant-available nitrogen levels in your soil, ask for an inorganic nitrogen test. This will give you a snapshot of nitrate-N and ammonium-N levels at the time you gather your soil sample.