Introduction
The first step for a homeowner in accurately fertilizing a lawn, garden, or landscape planting is to collect a representative soil sample and send it to a laboratory for analysis. After completing the analysis, the laboratory sends the results back to you along with lime and fertilizer recommendations. Now for the second step - reading through the report to determine the next steps. A video that walks you through the entire report may be found at How to Interpret Your Soil Test Results.
The Soil Test Report will not tell you if you have diseases, microbes, herbicide/pesticide residues, chemicals, etc. The University of Minnesota Soil Test report is focused on describing the fertility status of your soil and providing information that will help maintain or improve the mineral nutrition of your plants.
The next five sections provides some simple guidelines for properly interpreting your University of Minnesota Soil Test report.
- Definitions
- Example Soil Test Report
- Header
- Soil Test Results
- Interpretation of Soil Test Results
- Recommendations
Ask the Extension
Additional information about how to manage soil and nutrients in yards and gardens is available on the UMN Extension website Managing soil and nutrients in yards and gardens. Contact the UMN Extension if you have additional questions, please visit this page to email or call a Master Gardener.