Gardening: Stop guessing, start testing your soil

Soil organic carbon content is a strong indicator of soil fertility. Photo: 123rf.com

Just as regular health checkups are crucial for maintaining good health, testing the chemical properties of your garden soil is essential for understanding its nutrient status. This knowledge enables informed decisions regarding fertiliser applications.

It is important to send soil samples to accredited soil laboratories for analysis, focusing on soil pH, organic carbon, cation exchange capacity (CEC), macronutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium and magnesium), and micronutrients (boron and zinc). If your soil has been subjected to persistent heavy fertilisation, salinity tests are also advisable.