News: Erie Co. Soil Testing Clinic May 9

Soil Testing Clinic
May 9th
Clarence Town Park Clubhouse

Starting at 1:00 and continuing until 3:00pm, Erie County Master Gardeners will be on hand for soil testing. Gardeners can bring in samples and obtain results while waiting. Interested gardeners should bring in at least 1⁄2 cup of dry soil sample from garden area following the below recommendations for obtaining a soil sample from Cornell Cooperative Extension.
The results of soil tests for nutrients and pH are valuable only if the soil sample is representative of the soil layers from which the plants draw their nutrients. It is essential to obtain uniform slices or cores of soil from the top to the proper depth. A spade, an auger or a special soil sampling tube can be used.
~ scrape away any debris, mulch and 1⁄2 to 1” of the surface layer.
~ take a slice (core) of soil all the way down to 8”10” from each of these spots.
~ mix the dried soil again and remove any remaining debris or stones.
~ save only about one cup of the dried soil in a clean, not metal or galvanized, container like a plastic bag or jar and label the container with your name and the area your took the sample.
~ a service fee of one dollar will be charged by the Erie Co. Cooperative extension to defray soil testing costs.