How to Test Your Soil for Nutrients

Testing your soil for major nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium) is crucial to growing beautiful and nutritious veggies.

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[multcoloured]

I'd love to see this kind of thing done before and after soil amendments!

[theyaf]

As a novice gardener I can't thank you enough this could realy make a difference to me ♥️

[yumiravenmaskay]

I just noticed that you put the blue pill in the purple nitrogen container. In general, I get the instructions so thank you!

[Wabuh-Wabuh]

I use potassium nitrate for the nitrogen & potassium.

Phosphoric acid or Liquid Bone meal for phosphorous.

I mix it and a reservoir and spray the lawn with it.

[geriburke]

I just tested my soil with this kit and everything is depleted which explains why nothing grows past an inch high. Thank you!!

[ConspiracyBytes]

dude you totally messed up and did the blue in the purple and the purple in the blue.... we were scratching our heads on your color judgement

[Raul]

the nitrogen sample looked green to me while the color chart looked white to pink; maybe it's the lighting.
I use wood ash for phosphorous, calcium, magnesium, and potassium. I don't find it changes the pH much at all but like all things; one can overdo it. Sulfut at about half a cup per gallon will neutralize the pH-changing character of wood ash. The bacteria will convert it to the oxoanion called sulfate and in that form the plants can use it. The bacteria in the soil will convert the sulfur to the oxoanion called sulfate and in that form the plants can use it.

[nickf]

If you are colorblind, you should ask somebody else to interpret the test results for you. Looking at the test results (and considering the test pills were placed incorrectly), I would say that Phosphorus is between Deficient and Adequate, Nitrogen is Depleted, and Potassium between Depleted and Deficient.

[steevo]

looks like you put the BLUE pill in the PURPLE vial... and the PURPLE pill in the BLUE vial... does that matter?

[yootoob]

i just watched a guy dig a hole with a little shovel ....for 5 min in real time man i love watching some good ol fashioned diggin holes

[ashleyc]

The tester is clearly color blind. I immediately thought of my color blind dad when I did my soil test. He would NOT be able to tell the purple and the blue apart. Ask someone to help you next time. My dad would only ask for help if it involves electrical work with red and green wires.

[FknNefFy]

I understand you wouldn’t want the water to throw off the nutrient test but also shouldn’t you just use whatever water you water the plants with to make it a fair test?

[joseph.bkazmi]

your nitrogen test had a blue hue how did you confirm your results as there was no match in colours.

[brucesummers]

Well done video and like that there is no music in the video, only information.

[karrezza]

Wait, what??? Surplus is a pink color, the test area is BLUE????

[pacquiaowright]

Thanks for the walk through, appreciate it.

[Thwild]

I use the same water I used to water my soil for the test

[acxbc]

I think you should add table salt to the mixture to help nitrate dissolve into the solution. And you are allowed to filter (coffee filter, two times, the second time put some well washed sand into the filter)

[lionellesbotha]

Thanks for the information. quick question, when planting sweet potatoes, what would be the ideal amounts those nutrients in the soil?

[georget]

Epic, I purchased this kit over a year ago and had it sitting around until a few months ago. I should have watched your video before using it, because I made the mistake of only filling the left side of the chamber with the solution. It still doesn't make sense to me why you would have to fill both sides with the solution if your using a color chart as a visual reference. Place the contents of the pill with the solution in the left side test chamber and get a color reaction. Then compare that color to the right side to get a visual indication of nutrient levels. It should be that easy but for some reason I misread the directions and ended up with inconclusive results. I have to give this one another try. Good video :)