Gardening to most people is about growing beautiful green plants and pretty flowers or having a healthy green lawn. The first secret to growing anything that thrives and is healthy is knowing what is in the dirt. It is easy to take soil for granted because it is everywhere. Your soil is the planting medium for everything that you grow. You can't look at the soil and tell what is in it. In order to grow healthy plants and lawns that thrive, you must know what nutrients are in your soil. To do that you must have your soil tested.
A soil test report will tell you the level of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium available to your garden plants. It will also indicate the soil pH (acidity or alkalinity) of your soil. For the most part this is all you need to know to properly fertilize your yard and garden soil to ensure beautiful plants and lawn.
Soil testing is a service provided by Texas A&M University in their soil-testing lab. On the Internet you can go to soiltesting.tamu.edu and look under Submittal Forms for the Urban Soil form. This site should provide you with the information you need to successfully test your soil. If more information is needed, contact your County Extension office. A healthy, well-balanced soil will make healthy plants. Remember the dirt comes first.
JoAnne Huffman, Smith County Master Gardener
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