Soil analysis is a research carried out by a laboratory of the different components of the soil, based on a sample that you will have taken from your garden.
Two types of analysis are made. The first is grain size. Soil elements are classified according to their size. You will thus know the percentages of clay, silt, siliceous and calcareous sands contained in the soil (well, your sample) but also the humus rate.
Is added to this analysis, the research of the pH . This number between 1 and 14 (between 4 and 9 for a soil) tells you the acidity or alkalinity of the sample. Neutral soil has a pH between 6.8 and 7.5.
The second more advanced analysis includes the search for the elements major, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potash (N, P, K) as well as a certain number of elements essential to the life of the soil, and therefore of plants (iron, copper, boron, calcium, magnesium, manganese…)
With your analysis, you are provided with the corrections to be made on the ground for the crops you have specified:vegetable garden, fruit tree, ornamental garden, lawn...
This is where you see the difference between laboratories. A complete analysis without a clear interpretation no use. If you are told to add X units of nitrogen per hectare, it is less telling for the amateur gardener than advising the addition of two wheelbarrows of compost for 10m².
Before doing a soil test, find out about the interpretation that will go with it. Otherwise, you still have to seek advice from a competent gardener .
