What is included in Soil Testing Kit?

Any agricultural activity requires soil and agriculture is a huge investment. So before sowing any crop in the soil it is better to test the quality of the soil so that all your efforts are fruitful. You can hire a professional who will take the sample of your soil and test it for different parameters to get readings. This is the lab testing of the soil. Or you can also get a soil testing kit in the market that is a good choice if you want to do the testing on your own. This kit contains all the necessary equipments and instruction to do the same. Through these soil test you can save lot of your money and time. Now you can grow the crop according to the soil type to get more yield.

Through the soil testing you will come to know what are the different requirements of the soil in terms of type, quality and quantity of fertilizers.

What Soil Testing Kit Does?
Soil testing kit determines the type of soil like whether it is clayey or sandy in texture. You must know this as different types of crops are sown in different types of soils.

Then you can check the nutrient level of the soil by using the kit. You will come to know what exactly are the requirements of the soil at present. Like if you need to add more nitrogen or more phosphorous for the same.

Salinity is the another feature that can be checked with the soil test kit. High salt concentration is there if the climate is dry. So if you want to grow certain specific type of crop that can be grown in normal conditions of the soil then you must check an eye on this factor.

Soil testing kit checks the pH of the soil. Some soils are more acidic (low pH less than 7) and some are alkaline (high pH more than 7). This affects the variety of the crops that can be planted and grown.

Presence of pathogen or harmful weeds should also be determined by using the soil testing kit. You can verify the presence of nematodes which then can be handled by experts.

Different Soil Test Kits
You can get one or different testing kit for different tests. Like there are pH soil testing kit, then phosphorous, nitrogen and potash soil test kit and kits to check moisture, temperature and other such features.

To check pH the kit includes a liquid and a color chart. When you drop few drops of liquid the color of the soil changes, which then can be compared to the color chart to know the exact pH. Sample soil should not be taken from the surface but about six inches deep and uniform samples all across the field should be taken to determine the exact pH. In some kits small china dish is also given to take the sample for testing. Buy the kit that gives results in direct pH rather than numbers to calculate the pH on your own.