Soil Testing

Become a Soil Steward! Soil Testing:

Saves money! Choose specific amounts of fertilizers without wasting fertilizer or money.
Diagnoses whether there is too little or too much of an analyzed nutrient.
Encourages proper plant nutrition by providing the appropriate lime and fertilizer recommendations.
Promotes environmental stewardship. When applying only as much fertilizer as is necessary, nutrient loading into surface and ground water is minimized and natural resources are conserved.

Soil Testing only Costs $32! How do you Soil Test??

Getting a good representative sample is very important for obtaining a meaningful soil test report. Only 2 cups of soil are needed. Collect soil (anywhere from 0-6" deep) from different sections of the area (lawn or garden) you want tested and combine into one 2-cup sample. Use the same method for each area you want tested. Label all plastic bags with the area you collected from and drop off the sample(s) with your name, address, phone number and payment to:

                                                        Cuyahoga County Water Quality Lab
                                                        6100 West Canal Road
                                                        Valley View, Ohio 44125 (North Door)

Make checks payable to Cuyahoga Treasurer
C/O Sanitary Engineering Division

Soil Fertility Analysis Tests:

Phosphorus (P) Index of plant available phosphorus. Primary plant nutrient.

Potassium (K) Primary plant nutrient.

Calcium (Ca) Ca deficiencies are usually only found on very acidic soils.

Magnesium (Mg) Mg deficiencies may occur in Ohio soils.

pH measures how acidic or basic soil is. Soil pH can affect nutrient uptake.

Cation exchange capacity (CEC) is an estimate of the soil's ability to hold positively charged (cation) nutrients (K, Ca, Mg) in plant available form.

Base saturation is the extent of the CEC saturated with cations other than H and Al.

Also provided: Lime requirement and fertility recommendations.

Why is excess phosphorus such a big deal in waters of Cuyahoga County?

Phosphorus is a naturally occurring element, but a little goes a long way. One pound of phosphorus can stimulate the growth of 500 pounds of algae! As algae and other aquatic plants flourish, they decompose and as they break down, they choke oxygen out of the water. With low dissolved oxygen levels, fish and other aquatic animals are left "gasping for breath."

High soil phosphorus combined with surface runoff and accelerated erosion can cause excessive growth of plants and algae in surface waters, damaging aquatic ecosystems.

Backyard Conservation Starts with YOU!!