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A SPECIAL SECTION DEVOTED TO
LIVING ON LAKE LANIER
The Dirt on
Gardening
Getting soil right
sets tone for lush gardens
By
Pamela A. Keene
It’s always a good time to have your soil tested.
Even as we move into fall – which is the best planting season –
getting your soil tested for pH balance, nutrients and the like will
set the stage for a great lawn and garden. And the best news is that
each sample you have tested only costs you $8.
That’s how much the University of Georgia Cooperative
Extension charges for a simple soil test to determine if your soil
has the right combination of nutrients and the proper pH to support
your plants, lawn, shrubs and trees. The county office of
Cooperative Extension can get you results in two to three weeks.
Here’s how it works:
• Pick areas that you’d like to test, say for
vegetable plantings, annuals or shrubs.
• Take a sample from the area by scraping off any
mulch, grass or weeds, then digging your shovel about four inches
into the ground.
• Take a vertical sample from the side of the hole,
getting soil from top to bottom.
• Put the sample into a bucket and repeat in the same
area, eventually collecting four to six separate samples.
• Mix them well in the bucket, then remove
approximately one cup of soil, placing it in a clean plastic bag.
Label each bag with the type of plants you plan to grow.
• Repeat in other planting areas, such as lawns,
flower beds or vegetable gardens, keeping the samples separate.
Different plants require different nutrients and soil acidity to
flourish, so it’s important to know how to prepare your soil before
you plant.
• Take your bagged samples to your local County
Extension Office. The office has official brown-paper sample bags
you can transfer your samples into to be sent to the university for
testing. There’s a place for your name, address and the type of
planting for the area.
• Pay your $8 per sample and you’re set. In two to
three weeks, you’ll get back a detailed report that tells you the
current condition of your soil and exactly what you need to do to
amend it for your plants.
Georgia clay is extremely acidic, and more than
likely, you will be told to add lime to your soil; however the
report will tell you how much to add. The best type is dolomitic
lime or pelletized lime, which absorbs into the soil more
effectively. Most plants in our area like soil with a pH of between
5.5 and 6.5, a pretty wide range, so getting your soil tested can
tell you what’s needed to assure success in your garden.
By testing your soil before you plant and amending it
according to the recommendations from the soil tests, you’re setting
the stage for long years of successful gardening. if the soil is
right, you have a much better chance of getting your garden to grow.
 Pamela A. Keene, our senior
writer, has been an avid gardener since she was a youngster in
Florida, and she has mastered the tough Georgia soils at her Flowery
Branch home. She’s also the regular gardening columnist for Athens
Magazine. Through her monthly column in Lakeside, she shares her
gardening knowledge. Pam encourages questions via e-mail at
pam@lakesidenews.com.
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