Subject: Re: Looking for soil testing kits

From: [email-masked] (Jeffrey L. Cook)
Date: 13 Dec 1994 20:14:43 GMT

I wrote:

>I'm looking for a cheap source for soil testing kits.  My local garden
>center has one that will test pH, N, P and K, but it costs $18.00 and
>only has enough for ten tests.  That seems awfully high for a few ounces
>of chemicals.  (I'm betting I can spend $18.00 at a chemical supply
>company and get a lifetime supply of the stuff.)  Is there a better
>source for this material?  Thanks!

Just wanted to thank those who've responded so far.

If there's any more discussion on this topic, I'd very much appreciate
it if you would e-mail me a copy of your posting so I don't miss out on
what you say.  (I'm going on vacation, then my company is switching its
Internet connection, so I won't be back on-line here  until the switch-
over is completed in early January.  My account will continue to be
active and accepting e-mail until I get back.)

So far, it looks like there are cheaper alternatives for soil testing.
The RapidTest package mentioned by Steve Raque is a much better deal than
what I've found.  He and Bill Terrill both mentioned meters, which might
be a better long-term solution for me.  I'm establishing a square-foot
garden for next year--ideally, I'd like to be able to test and adjust
the pH and fertilizer levels for each individual square as I replant it
throughout the year.  If this is unnecessary or cost-prohibitive, then
I'll settle for using something like the RapidTest package once a year.

I also got an e-mail note from someone who says that the Soil Science
department club at his college sells cheap testing kits.  I'm going to
look into this possibility as well.

Jeff Cook                                   [email-masked]