Phase 1 Soil Test Results

Phase 1 soil test looked at identifying the soil type and readily available nutrients for a certain land use. As soils are made up of sand, silt, and clay, the test first determines the ratio of sand to silt to clay. This is an important starting point for understanding compaction and drainage issues. The test also looked at how much organic matter was present in the soil. This is extremely important as organic matter is what feeds the life in the soil. The life in the soil is what unlocks the nutrients that are present in the soil but not in a form that is readily available to plants. This is a source we would want to see a good result on because the more habitat for soil biodiversity, the more nutrients can be unlocked and made available to plants. 

The EIP soil test looked at what the land is used for (e,g, sheep, cattle, tillage, horticulture) and the results reflect the readily available nutrients required for that purpose. Conan’s soil type is made up of clayey sandstone and shale. His land use is cattle and poultry, so the results are read for that target. 

Conan’s organic matter was 12%, which doesn’t need a lot of improvement. His readily available nutrients were quite deficient reading slightly low, low, or very low. 

Phase 2 Soil Test Results

Soil samples looked at soil respiration (mg/kg ), C: N ratio, active carbon ( mg/kg ), available nitrogen, and ammonium nitrogen. 

Biological Test Results

The biological testing looked at the beneficial microorganisms, fungi (ug/g), bacteria (ug/g), actinobacteria, and fungal: bacteria relationship.