Soil Sampling & Testing

Field Soil Sampling & Testing services in Warwickshire

An image showing a map we made of a fields soil

Professional Soil Testing in WarwickShire

When it comes to soil testing at Stretton Spreading LTD we have several different options. 

A soil testing service can be provided to test for Lime using a BDH testing box to give instant results. A hand-drawn map is produced and presented to the customer along with a liming recommendation.  (SEE EXAMPLE MAP)
 
Soil samples for laboratory analysis can be taken for  P, K. Mg  &  Ph as well as trace elements if required. This can be done at a number of levels
An image of us collecting soil for testing

Take samples across the field

Take samples across the field, mix them in a bag and send them off to the laboratory for analysis and get back one result for the whole field. Applications of fertiliser and lime are done using the blanket coverage method ie only one rate across the whole field. Fertiliser and lime can, and are, often applied to areas that don’t have any requirements. Any variations in rates have to be guessed.
An image of soil test samples

Take different samples across the field manually

Take different samples across the field manually, according to where you think the soil type changes and send them off to the Lab.

The advantages of this is that it's more accurate than the system above, it has cheap testing costs, You have more knowledge of the nutrient requirements for the different soil types. and that manually changing the fertilizer and lime rates can be done.

An image of a us scanning a field

Take samples using a GPS grid system

Take samples using the grid system plotting them with GPS. This is where the computer places hectare grids over the field and samples are taken in that grid. This is better than the previously mentioned method as it allows for variable rate application maps to be produced, and savings on inputs can be made, also all of the sampling and mapping can be done in one visit.
An image of a us testing PH Levels

The field is scanned with a conductivity meter

The field is scanned with a conductivity meter to produce a detailed soil type map of that field. Each soil type is then sampled individually. With this method, each soil type is mapped and sampled to produce its own indices, Fertiliser and Lime can be applied precisely to the right places. produces practical maps that a good machinery operator can use even without GPS. The scanning cost is a ‘one-off’. Soil types don’t move (well not that quick) Combine yield maps can be overlaid to see which type is the most productive. This is considered the most cost-effective and accurate way to find out your fertilizer requirements. As the scanning only has to be done once. Re-sampling in 4 years' time makes this a far cheaper option.

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