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The Importance of Soil Testing

Soil Testing

If you’re a homeowner or property developer in New York, you might think that soil testing is something that is just reserved for the agricultural industry. This is not true.

Soil testing is an important process that can help people better understand the ground underneath them and the best ways to work with and look after it. Things like soil fertility, nutrient and pH levels all play a vital role in how soil can be used and what can be done with it.

Let’s take a look at why soil testing is so important.

What Is Soil Testing?

Soil testing is a crucial part of the process of conducting a proper environmental site assessment. It’s used to assess the soil’s quality, health, and sustainability in any given area.

Companies carry out soil testing for several various reasons. It’s most often done in relation to agricultural work, real estate development, and home improvements.

So, how does soil testing work? Well, a soil testing company will come and take a sample of the soil and analyze it for certain chemicals and materials. The chemicals that the soil testing service are looking for are:

  • Potassium
  • Phosphorus
  • Magnesium
  • Calcium
  • Sodium
  • Zinc
  • Copper
  • Manganese

Testers extract these chemicals from the soil to assess their prevalence and any impacts they are having on the soil in a given area.

What Are the Objectives of Soil Testing?

Soil testing has several objectives in mind, and it depends on the industry the soil is being tested for.

Generally speaking, soil tests are carried out with a few key objectives in mind:

Assess Fertility and Fertilizer Use

One of the key things that a soil test can tell is how fertile the soil is on a plot of land. This is particularly important for the agricultural industry. It is also essential information for businesses and homeowners in the New York area who wish to carry out planting or understand how fertile their land is.

From these fertility findings, agricultural workers and homeowners can determine how much fertilizer they need to use to grow the things they want to on the land.

Suitability

Soil testing is a vital tool for assessing how suitable the soil is for either the crops that are going to be planted there or the work that is going to be done on the land.

Property developers and farmers use the soil testing results to determine what work should and should not be carried out on the land.

Predict Future Trends

Soil testing doesn’t just inform farmers, property developers, and homeowners in the New York area about what their land is like now. It can also give people reasonably solid predictions about how the soil will react to certain things and how it’s going to change shape over time.

What Are the Benefits of Soil Testing?

The importance of soil testing cannot be overstated. Vital building works and sometimes entire industries hinge on the results of a soil test:

Informed Decisions

When you get your soil tested, you’re learning all the key information about the ground beneath your feet. You’re learning what will work well with the soil and what won’t.

This is especially important for farmers and agricultural workers. Getting accurate soil tests done provides them with the information to make informed decisions about what crops to grow in which fields and how much fertilizer they’re going to need to grow them.

It’s also essential information for property developers and homeowners who want to know what they can and can’t do with the land and what the best decision to make is.

Minimize Expenditure

Farmers spend a lot of money on fertilizers and other things that can aid crop production. With an accurate soil test, they can reduce their expenditure on certain fertilizers.

When farmers know exactly what deficiencies their soil has, they can pinpoint the problem areas and almost completely eradicate their waste. They’ll know exactly how much fertilizer to buy.

They’ll also know exactly what to look for in their fertilizers, which could prevent them from overspending on fertilizers rich in limited materials like phosphorus and potassium that can be costly if not needed.

Avoid Soil Degradation

Land degradation has the potential to significantly impact the lives of over 1.5 billion people. It’s also estimated that over 24 billion acres of fertile soil have been lost to mismanagement.

Soil testing helps landowners and farmers better manage their land and prevent management errors from affecting people’s livelihoods.

Keep On Top of Soil Health Properties

You keep track of your own health, and if you have pets you likely keep track of their health too. Soil needs the same attention paid to it.

Landowners who know how their soil is doing in terms of pH and other factors will be able to make decisions that best look after the land beneath them. It can never hurt to get regular updates about how the ground beneath your feet is holding up and what needs to be done about it if it’s not looking good.

Learn More About Soil Testing Today

As you can see from the above article, soil testing is a vital process for so many industries and people. It’s an exact science that can seem a bit confusing, so if you think you need a soil test, then it’s best to let a professional soil testing service come and handle it.

If you’re in the New York area, reach out to us to talk to our experts. We regularly carry out soil testing, and we have a team of experienced and qualified professionals on hand to help you whenever you need us.

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