How to Take a Soil Sample

Things to know before you start:

• Each sample should represent only one area–for example, a lawn, vegetable garden or perennial landscaped area.
• Use proper sampling tools–if a soil probe or augur is not available, use a garden spade or shovel. Do not use galvanized tools, as they may contaminate the sample.
• For each unique area take at least 10–12 cores–see illustration below.
• Submit samples from healthy and unhealthy areas separately.
• Sample lawns to a depth of 4-6 inches.
• Sample shrubbery & perennial beds to a depth of 4–6 inches taking care to avoid zones where lime or fertilizer has been applied recently.
• Sample annual vegetable and flower beds to the depth that you plan to incorporate lime or fertilizer.
• Place all cores for one unique area in a clean plastic bucket and mix well. Fill the soil sample box about 2/3 full (about 2 cups).
• Avoid extremely wet soil conditions unless absolutely necessary. If it is necessary to sample wet soil, spread the sample in a thin layer on an aluminum pie pan, clean wrapping paper or waxed paper, and allow to dry at room temperature. A fan may be used to speed this process. Do not use heat to hasten drying. DO NOT send wet samples to the laboratory for analysis. They may leak in the mail, provide inappropriate results, and delay analysis.
• For frequent soil testers: Establish a regular sampling time. For most crops, the soil should be sampled every 2 to 3 years. For soils under intensive use, as in high-value cash crops or where nutritional problems persist, the soil should be tested prior to planting each crop. Fields should be tested at approximately the same time of year.

How to take your soil sample:

1. Sample your soil to the correct depth described here:

• Home gardens ordinarily require samples taken to the tillage depth (from 6–10 inches deep). To use a spade for sampling: Dig a hole to the desired depth, then cut a ½ inch thick slice of soil from the face of the hole and trim both vertical sides of the slice so as to obtain a strip of soil about 1 inch wide from top to bottom.
• For lawns, a sample from the upper four to six inches of soil is satisfactory. Thatch and other visible plant residue should be removed.
• For deep rooted tree and fruit crops, two samples should be sent to Agro-One:
  (1) surface soil sample from 0-8 inch depth, and
  (1) subsoil sample from 8"-24"depth.
  
  Samples should be sent in separate containers, with a completed information sheet for each sample. Ensure that BOTH samples are properly labeled and recorded on each information sheet in order to keep the samples together for analysis and recommendations output.
  
  
• ,AGRO-ONE / DAIRY-ONE primarily provide services for commercial agriculture but they aldo do soil testing for home gardeners.  Visit their webpage on Submitting A Sample for details; you most likely will want :
  Form H – Home Garden & Lawn, or
  Form T – Turf if you are testing your lawn soil

2. Prepare your sample(s) for submission. 

Make sure they are dry, at least 1.5–2 cups in volume, and sealed in a plastic bag. Fill out the appropriate information sheet, provided with your Agro-One sample box. Be sure to write legibly and include all contact information, crop codes, county of origin and other necessary
information. Recommendations may not be accurate if information is missing or incomplete. Also be sure to keep a record of each sample for your future reference or if additional testing is necessary. 

Ship Your Samples to:

Agro-One
730 Warren Road
Ithaca NY 14850

Questions? Call 1.800.344.2697

Samples can be shipped via U.S. Mail, UPS, Fed Ex, DHL, etc. Selecting these carriers will require
additional packaging and will incur additional shipping and handling costs. If using the USPS, the flat rate boxes will be your most economical way to ship samples

Last updated May 16, 2023