Q.    WHY DO I NEED TO TAKE A SOIL TEST? AND WHAT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF THE SOIL TEST?

A.     A SOIL TEST WILL GIVE  YOU THE CURRENT STATE OF NUTRIENTS IN THE SOIL THAT YOU PLAN ON USING FOR A FOOD PLOT.  FOR EXAMPLE YOU MAY FIND OUT THAT YOU NEED LITTLE IF ANY FERTILIZER.

     BY FAR THE MOST IMPORTANT COMPONENT OF THE SOIL TEST IS THE pH LEVEL OF THE SOIL.  THE PH LEVEL IN THE SOIL WILL INDICATE THE ACIDITY OR ALKALINITY OF THE SOIL.  FOR THE MOST PART, EVERYTHING THAT WE WANT TO PLANT FOR DEER WILL GROW THE BEST AT A NEUTRAL PH OF 7.0, SO THAT SHOULD BE YOUR GOAL WHEN TESTING YOUR SOIL’S PH AND DECIDING HOW MUCH LIME TO ADD TO RAISE THE PH LEVEL, ADD ENOUGH LIME TO RAISE THAT PLOT’S PH TO 7.0. 

THE PH IS REALLY THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THE PLANT(S) HAS TO LIVE IN.  MANY OF THE PLANTS WE WANT TO GROW FOR DEER SIMPLY CANNOT GERMINATE AND THRIVE IN LOW PH SOILS.  TO MAKE THIS VERY SIMPLE, CORRECTING THE PH IS AS IMPORTANT TO THESE PLANTS AS HAVING OXYGEN AVAILABLE FOR US.  SIMPLY PUT, IF WE DON’T HAVE OXYGEN AVAILABLE TO BREATHE, WE WILL DIE-SO, IF YOU PLANT SPECIES THAT NEED A RELATIVELY HIGH PH LEVEL IN ORDER TO GROW, AND YOU IGNORE TESTING THE SOIL FOR THE PH LEVEL AND TRY PLANTING AND GET POOR OR NO RESULTS, IT COULD CERTAINLY BE THAT THE PH IS TOO LOW FOR THESE PLANTS.

17. I DON’T THINK I HAVE TO TEST MY SOIL BECAUSE I HAVE GOOD BLACK DIRT.

1. THE COLOR OF THE SOIL IS NOT NECESSARILY THE INDICATION OF A LOW OR HIGH PH LEVEL—YOU NEED TO TEST!

17. I AM GOING TO BE PLANTING ON A PLOT THAT THE FARMER HAD PLANTED CORN LAST YEAR, AND THE CORN GREW WELL, SO I DON’T THINK I NEED TO CHECK THE PH.

1. YES, YOU DO NEED TO CHECK THE PH-MANY CROPS THAT FARMERS PLANT (SUCH AS CORN/SOYBEANS/WHEAT/ AND RYE ) CAN GROW IN LOW PH SOILS, WHEREAS CLOVERS AND OTHER LEGUMES WE WANT TO PLANT FOR DEER NEED A  MUCH HIGHER PH.

17. I PUT DOWN PLENTY OF FERTILIZER, SO I DON’T NEED TO CHECK MY PH AND WORRY ABOUT PUTTING DOWN ANY LIME.

1. WRONG-FERTILIZER IS PLANT FOOD AND WILL NOT RAISE THE PH LEVEL OF THE SOIL-IN FACT IF YOUR PH IS NOT AT A 7.0, MUCH OF THE FERTILIZER CANNOT BE USED BY THE PLANTS AND IS WASTED.  WITH THE DRASTIC INCREASE IN FERTILIZER PRICES, TAKE THE TIME AND EFFORT TO TEST YOUR SOIL AND APPLY THE PROPER AMOUNT OF LIME.

17. HOW MUCH LIME DO I NEED TO ADD, HOW OFTEN DO I NEED TO SPREAD LIME, AND CAN I JUST SPREAD IT ON TOP OF THE SOIL WITHOUT DISCING IT INTO THE GROUND?

1. YOUR PH TEST WILL TELL YOU HOW MUCH LIME TO ADD-BE PREPARED TO ADD SEVERAL TONS OF LIME –GENERALLY IT WILL TAKE SEVERAL TONS PER ACRE OF LIME TO RAISE THE PH-GENERALLY ONCE YOU SPREAD THE PROPER AMOUNT OF LIME TO RAISE THE PH TO A 7.0, YOU MAY NOT HAVE TO ADD LIME AGAIN FOR 5 YEARS OR MORE AND THEN IT WILL PROBABLY NOT BE AS MUCH AS YOU HAD TO ADD INITIALLY.  LIME NEEDS TO BE DISCED OR TILLED INTO THE GROUND-LIME SETTING ON TOP OF THE GROUND CAN BLOW AWAY OR TAKE VIRTUALLY FOREVER TO WASH INTO THE SOIL AND RAISE THE PH.

17. HOW DO I CHECK MY PH?

1. YOU CAN SUBMIT A SOIL SAMPLE TO A FERTILIZER PLANT WHO IN TURN WILL SEND IT IN TO A LABORATORY, BE PREPARED TO WAIT A COUPLE WEEKS TO GET THE RESULTS, OR YOU CAN USE AN INSTANT PH SOIL TEST KIT FROM ANTLER KING –THESE KITS ALLOW YOU TO TEST 4 DIFFERENT PLOTS AND IT IS A “DO IT YOURSELF” KIT.   WITHIN 20 PAINLESS MINUTES, YOU WILL KNOW THE PH LEVEL OF YOUR PLOTS AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT WILL ALSO GIVE YOU THE AMOUNT OF LIME YOU NEED TO ADD TO THESE PLOTS TO RAISE THE SOIL TO THE PROPER PH LEVEL.