Acid soil limits crop yields on many Virginia farms. This soil acidity can be directly toxic to plants, but more often it reduces the plants' efficiency at nutrient utilization.

Your Soil Test Report and related Soil Test Notes referred to on a report will help you assess your plant’s need for fertilizer and lime.

Most Virginia soils are acidic and require lime applications at three- to five-year intervals. Maintaining the correct soil pH has several benefits, such as encouraging healthy root development and making sure nutrients in the soil are available to the plant. For example, low pH can cause aluminum toxicity and can decrease phosphorus availability.

If your Soil Test Report indicates that one or more trace elements are needed, then go to the related sections in this note for information on the recommended trace elements and the specific rates and methods of application. Apply only those trace elements that are recommended, and only at the recommended rates!

The procedures for soil analysis used in the Soil Testing Laboratory were established in the early 1950s. A routine test, consisting of eleven separate analyses, is performed on all samples.

Phosphorus is a naturally occurring element that is one of 16 elements essential for plant growth and animal health. Research has documented that applying phosphorus in fertilizers or manure increases crop growth and yield on soils that are below critical agronomic levels, as measured during routine soil testing. Although the economic benefits of phosphorus fertilization on crop production are well-documented, too much of a good thing can be detrimental to the environment. Excessive soil phosphorus is a potential threat to water quality.

Correctly collecting a soil sample is one of the most important steps in a soil testing program! The reliability of a soil test can be no better than the sample submitted. For results that can be depended on, it is vitally important to take samples that accurately represent the soil in your fields. When one considers that a one pound soil sample must adequately represent millions of pounds of soil in the area being sampled, the importance of doing a good job of sampling becomes apparent.