Products: Soil and plant testing

Why test soil and herbage?
Soil testing is the only way to determine the nutrient reserves - and therefore the nutrient requirements - of your land. Soil testing is best done on an annual or bi-annual basis, using established transect lines and avoiding atypical areas of the paddock, such as stock camps, areas around gates, fencelines and water troughs. Land with different soil types, uses or geographical aspect should be tested separately. For example, hill country and flat land should have separate soil tests taken; land used for effluent disposal or for feed crops should be sampled separately. The nutrient levels in these different land types will be quite different, and any fertiliser recommendations need to take into account existing nutrient reserves in the soil.

Herbage testing is essential for assessing trace element requirements. Depending on the nutrient that is being tested for, different herbage sample may be required. For example, grasses are a more sensitive indicator of soil nitrogen status, so if this is being assessed a grass-only sample would be collected. Clover is more sensitive to stresses from deficiencies in phosphorus, sulphur, magnesium, molybdenum and copper. If deficiencies in these nutrients are suspected, clover-only samples should be collected. As with soil testing, samples need to be taken from areas that are typical of the paddock, not from areas with high nutrient concentrations.

Technical information
Ballance technical sales representatives are all experienced at taking soil and herbage samples and can give advice to farmers wishing to take their own samples. Ballance offers a soil and herbage testing service through its partners Hill Laboratories and Gribbles Laboratories. For further advice, contact your Ballance technical sales representative.