Show I Ii J i 11 n Of 1 Know your soil il testing servi service c e Many people are not familiar with the soil analysis services that are available at Utah State University to help them with their farming and gardening Reuel E. E Lamborn director of the Soil Plant and Water Analysis Laboratory has answered answered answered an an- a few questions indicating indicating indicating in in- the services that are provided Q For whom do you do analysis work A. A About half of our work is done in support of research here hereon on campus We also do a substantial substantial substantial sub sub- amount for various government agencies and for Utah farmers and gardeners Q As a Utah farmer Im I'm concerned about the fertilizer shortages resulting from the energy pinch What help can you give me A. A We can help you achieve the most efficient use of the fertilizer available By testing samples of your soil to determine determine determine deter deter- mine the present fertility status of a field or a garden we have a sound basis for determining whether you need to apply any fertilizer If you do we indicate how much of what kind would be best for the crop you plan to grow in that field If the tests show that your soil has ample plant nutrients we will recommend that fertilizer not be applied You can leave the fertilizer for someone else who really needs it to meet his crop needs This sa saves ves you money and results in more efficient use of available materials and best over-all over crop production Q What has your e shown as the general fertility status of Utah tah soils A. A We find that our soils range widely from very deficient to tov v very ry excessive amounts of certain plant nutrients To learn the fertility status of the soil in a particular field it is necessary to test it Generally these are our observations 1 Utah Soils do not need lime as indicated in articles s from other areas 2 Potassium pot potash sh is adequate except for a few areas in the Uintah Basin and some very sandy excessively drained soils 3 Phosphorus is variable depending mostly on whether manure or commercial fertilizers have been applied to the particular field The soil test gives a measure of potassium P and phosphorus K indicating whether these are adequate Many of the garden samples we have tested have been over- over fertilized with P and K In some cases this has caused problems with salt and imbalance of nutrients Q What about trace elements A. A Utah soils are generally well supplied with these Some orchards have shown iron zinc or manganese deficiencies We have detected only a couple of zinc deficiencies in other crops in the state Some flowers and garden plants become deficient in iron in a few areas usually wet heavy soils high in lime However in most areas under average conditions most crops do not need more trace elements clements Adding trace elements for insurance can cause nutrient imbalance problems and be more detrimental than helpful If you request it we can test for these elements but usually the extra cost is not justified Q What is the situation with nitrogen A A. Nitrogen N is extremely important In many cases it is the only nutrient element not present in the soil in amounts sufficient to produce a a good crop However we dont don't test forN forN for for- forN N except for research plots and for sugar beet growers because there are arc a lot of technical problems involved in testing for available nitrogen To get reliable results you must sample carefully to at least a three-foot three depth at several points in a field and the samples must be dried or frozen within 24 hours Presently the extra work and cost is considered Justified only for sugar beets However we can and do make reasonably good recommendations for N. N Th These se seare are based on information you supply on a soil description sheet that you send in with each soil sample It asks for the location of the land source and adequacy of water crop to be grown and the crop and fertilizer fertilizer fer fer- izer h history is tory Q How do I go about getting my soil tested A. A It is best to get sampling instructions and sample bags and mailing boxes from your County Agent at the nearest Extension Office Follow the sampling instructions carefully provide the information information information in in- formation asked for and ship the samples to the laboratory at Utah Sta State te University in Logan We will mail test results and fertilizer recommendations within a week from the day we receive the samples in our lab Q Is there a charge for this A. A Yes we must charge enough to pay for lor the service You can get information On on this Extension of of- from any of the |