Turf Soil Health Testing

Soil analysis unearths a wealth of beneficial information and allows you to see the entire picture when it comes to the condition of your turf. In addition to monitoring soil conditions and checking the effectiveness of fertilizer applications, we’ll give you the insight you need to implement an effective action plan based on the data gathered. This means that you can rest assured that you’re optimizing your turf management efforts.

Interested in learning more about our turf soil testing and how it can benefit you? Contact our turf soil experts online or call us at 402.476.0300 to talk with an AgSource representative today.

Looking for more turf testing services? Learn about our irrigation water testing and plant tissue testing.

Testing Options

AgSource Laboratories can test for a range of values, from basic nutrients to trace elements. Ask about optional interpretive ranges.

Basic Package – Covers the first level of basic turf soil fertility management.

  • Soil pH, Buffer pH, Soluble Salt, Excess Carbonate, Organic Matter, Sodium, Phosphorus, Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, CEC (% Base Saturation) and Results & Guidelines

Routine Package – this package includes the entire Basic package plus…

  • Nitrate, Zinc and Sulfur

Diagnostic Package – Most complete assessment! Evaluates levels of all plant essential nutrients. Includes the entire Routine package plus…

  • Boron, Manganese, Copper and Iron

Turf Elite Package – The same analyses as the Diagnostic package, but this advanced option includes detailed graphing for each sample result and turf-specific recommendations. Click here to see an example report.

*New* Soil Health for Turf – See the “Soil Health for Turf” section for package details and more information.

  • Basic Package …… $45
  • Routine Package …… $55
  • Complete Package …… $65
  • Add-Test …… $30
  • Solvita Only …… Coming Soon!

Soluble Nutrients (by saturated paste) – Most popular add-on test! Specifically show the amount of nutrients held in soil solution, or the ‘plant available’ form of these nutrients.

 •  Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) •  Electrical Conductivity (EC)
 •  Phosphate •  Potassium
 •  Magnesium •  Calcium
 •  Sodium •  Bicarbonate
 •  Nitrate •  Ammonium
 •  Chloride •  Sulfate
 •  Boron •  Zinc
 •  Moisture •  Manganese
 •  Iron •  Silicon
 •  Copper 

Soil Salinity (by saturated paste) –

 •  Sodium Adsorption Ratio (SAR) •  Electrical Conductivity (EC)
 •  Calcium •  Magnesium
 •  Potassium •  Sodium
 •  Boron •  Chloride
 •  Moisture 

Additional Analyses – These tests can be added to a package or ordered separately.

  •  Traces (Zn, Mn, Cu, Fe)  •  Nitrate Nitrogen
  •  Sulfur  •  Phosphorus- Bray II
  •  Boron  •  Phosphorus – Mehlich
  •  Particle Size Analysis (Soil Texture)  •  Phosphorus – Modified Morgan
  •  Molybdenum  •  Chloride
  •  Arsenic, Extractable  •  Profile Nitrate
  •  Profile Chloride  •  Alumimum
  •  Ammonium Nitrogen  •  Zinc

 

Health For Turf

AgSource Laboratories’ Soil Health Assessment combines the chemical and physical results of traditional soil testing with biological assessments of microbial activity to provide a measure of the quality of the soil. For more information, visit the Soil Health for Turf page.

Basic Package …… $45 – includes: Soil Health Score, CO2 Respiration, C:N Ratio.

Routine Package …… $55 – includes: Soil Health Score, CO2 Respiration, C:N Ratio, plus

  • Water Soluble analysis: Carbon, Total Nitrogen, Nitrate-N, Ammoniacal-N, Orthophosphate-P, & Water Saturation %

Complete Package …… $65 – includes: Soil Health Score, CO2 Respiration, C:N Ratio, plus

  • Water Soluble analysis: Carbon, Total Nitrogen, Nitrate-N, Ammoniacal-N, Orthophosphate-P, & Water Saturation %
  • Haney H3A Extraction: Orthophosphate-P, Phosphorus, Potassium, Calcium, Iron and Aluminum

Add Test …… $30 – this test can be added to any standard soil analysis, and covers the seven key areas of soil health most valuable to turf grass management: Soil Health Score, CO2 Respiration, Total Carbon, Total Nitrogen, C:N Ratio, Mineralizable Nitrogen, and Mineralizable Phosphorus.

Sampling Guide

Turf Soil Sampling Guide – Click here
Turf Soil Submission Form – Click here

Sampling Supplies

  • Clean Plastic Bucket – Avoid using metal buckets. They can contain trace micronutrients and may contaminate samples.
  • Sampling Probe – Stainless steel is best. Take all samples at uniform depth.
  • Sample Bag – Use plastic or plastic-lined bags only.
  • Sample Entry Form – Please be sure all essential information is completed.

Amount of Soil Needed: At a minimum, 1 cup of soil is needed. (approx. 1 pound)

Sampling Procedure

  1. Determine Sample Locations.
    a. Record sample locations for future reference, this is particularly important for fairways.
    b. Do not mix sub-samples from different greens or fairways; always sample separately.
  2. Take Samples.
    a. * Keep sampling depth consistent
    i. Greens samples: depth of 3 inches
    ii. Other turf samples: 3-4 inches is adequate
    b. Take multiple sub-samples. About 10 – 15 sub-samples are needed for a nutrient analysis.
    c. To improve consistency, include the thatch layer in your sample.
    d. To avoid fertilizer and residue contamination, wait a minimum of two weeks after an application before collecting soil samples.
    e. Avoid any “unusual areas”, such as poorly drained or sandy spots, in your routine sampling. This unique soil should be analyzed separately.
  3. Clearly mark the samples.  Identify each sample bag (example: GRN#1) and the sample entry form.
  4. Complete all paperwork.
    a. Please indicate type of turf being tested (Greens, Fairways, Tee Boxes and General Turf)
    b. Specify the desired analytical test package to be performed.
    c. If other tests are requested, please specify.
  5. Ship sample to AgSource Laboratories.
    a. Pack samples very tightly in a strong shipping box(s). Use packing material so the bag(s) will not shift in the box. Tape the box completely and affix a preprinted shipping label.
    b. If possible, collect and ship samples the same day.

Results & Reports

Sample turnaround is three working days. Results are available online, via email or standard mail. Choose from Excel, PDF or CSV files or one of the following turf soil report options.

Turf Soil Report Options

Resources

Submission Forms

Sampling Guide – click here

Turf Technical Bulletins
These bulletins pull together the combined knowledge of AgSource Laboratories’ agronomists into an easy-to-use reference guide, discussing the most important aspects of turf management.