Soil testing

Arrow in the Knee

How much is it per sample to soil test fields?

lefthooker

Cost me 25 euro per sample with Teagasc

nilhg

I left some into Teagasc this morning, the basic test was €27 and if you wanted trace elements done then it's €36

Arrow in the Knee

Thought it would cost at least half that per sample!

Do you test for everything in the soil or test for certain deficiencies like Lime or Phosphorus?

lefthooker

Depends on how far you want to go.The basic test covers P K and lime and usually is sufficient but if you're not happy with yields or growth and the test come back adequate levels of the above then chances are you're low in trace elements. I think

oooge1

i paid 26 for mine two weeks ago put it into a lab.. but i've been chatting to two guys since, one from teagasc and another from farm direct and they both told me the cost they charge is around 16 euros.. if i had only known!!

whelan1

mmm €220 for 11 samples from teagasc on monday of this week, seems teagasc are taking us for a ride:D

blue5000

oooge1 wrote: »

i paid 26 for mine two weeks ago put it into a lab.. but i've been chatting to two guys since, one from teagasc and another from farm direct and they both told me the cost they charge is around 16 euros.. if i had only known!!

Was the 16e just for organic matter?

Username John

Got some samples done last year by a crowd in Waterford, 12.50 per sample - that was just basic PH, P, K.

Found out about them on here
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=70717984

merryberry

Got quoted €12.50 incl VAT from IAS (P,K and lime only) for Jan 2012. Soil sample and post myself. Teagasc have been charging farmers €25 for P, K, Lime, Mg sample of years even if you took the sample yourself...ok they did post them for us and they will explain the results. They no longer carry out the actual soil test themselves. Now they sub-contract it out.

Arrow in the Knee

Seems like Teagasc are pricey.

There is a lab in Oldcastle, Meath that does soil tests but don't how much.

I have fields that haven't been ploughed or reseeded for a long time if ever. It is good land but one field '9 acres' is really underperforming and it hasn't been ploughed since God knows when!

Will have to see whats up with it and do something about it. More than likely lacking everything!

iano93

Can any of ye talk me through what is involved in sampling had one done a few years ago when we started in REPS 4 and a tool more or less resembling an inverted cone with a handle shaped like a T at the top.
If we want to take samples ourselves can we do without this tool or what is your opinion on the best method of taking them?
I assume its a matter of contacting a lab then to test them ?
Thanks

mullachmore man

i got a sample taken yesterday, teagasc lad came out and done it for me, cost 25 euro, he posted it away as well.
he had tee shaped piece as well about a metre long, he sunk it in the ground about 4 inches in several areas of the field and emptied each sample into a small white box about 4" x 4" . the bottom 4 inches of the tee piece had a slot out of it for scraping the sample out each time,
i would say that it was about an inch wide at the bottom. so you could make a device out of inch copper pipe ,with a slot out four inches from the bottom of it and you would be able to scrape the clay out with a nail or something, i would not go down any more than four inches. if you have fresh slurry on the land this can distort the reading, so look for a patch that would be slurry free !

hope this helps you

Blue Holland

If your a member of teagasc just get a lend of the sampler off them. Avoid areas where lime or dung was ever tipped, or d like of where fert and slurry would be doubled.
Take plenty of cores and mix it up well in a bucket and send off a small bit, d lab told me an egg cup full was enough, I sent bit more but no point over doing it, been dealing with FBA labs in waterford for years, think its 12.50 for basic ph p&k. Also gives ya nutrient advice.

saranac1

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=xTsUX4LUm7k&feature=youtu.be&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DxTsUX4LUm7k%26feature%3Dyoutu.be