Crop production has increased dramatically over the last few decades, much of which has been due to the widespread introduction of chemical fertilizers starting in the mid-1900s. Matching fertilizer application rates to crop needs is an essential component of optimizing crop production. However, different crops in separate fields will require varying rates of the major nutrients – nitrogen (N), phosphate (P2O5), and potassium (potash, K2O) – due to variations in soil types, soil test phosphorus and potassium levels, and nutrient ranges of different crops.

Your Soil Test Report and related Soil Test Notes referred to on a report will help you assess your plant’s need for fertilizer and lime.

Most Virginia soils are acidic and require lime applications at three- to five-year intervals. Maintaining the correct soil pH has several benefits, such as encouraging healthy root development and making sure nutrients in the soil are available to the plant. For example, low pH can cause aluminum toxicity and can decrease phosphorus availability.

The only way to accurately predict lime and fertilizer needs in forages is through soil testing, as explained in “Soil Test Note No. 1 – Explanation of Soil Tests,” Virginia Cooperative Extension publication 452-701. See www.soiltest.vt.edu.

If your Soil Test Report indicates that one or more trace elements are needed, then go to the related sections in this note for information on the recommended trace elements and the specific rates and methods of application. Apply only those trace elements that are recommended, and only at the recommended rates!

The procedures for soil analysis used in the Soil Testing Laboratory were established in the early 1950s. A routine test, consisting of eleven separate analyses, is performed on all samples.

Correctly collecting a soil sample is one of the most important steps in a soil testing program! The reliability of a soil test can be no better than the sample submitted. For results that can be depended on, it is vitally important to take samples that accurately represent the soil in your fields. When one considers that a one pound soil sample must adequately represent millions of pounds of soil in the area being sampled, the importance of doing a good job of sampling becomes apparent.