Soil Testing
Questions? Please contact Jordyn Sattler, Regional Crops and Soils Educator at jordyn.sattler@wisc.edu or 608-328-9440.
The Green County Extension Office partners with Rock River Laboratories in offering soil testing. The lab can test soils from:
- Lawns
- Vegetable gardens
- Flower gardens
- Fields
Soil probes can be checked out from the Extension Office, and soil sample bags are available for use. a $20 deposit will be required to check out the soil probe for a 5-day loan period, which will be returned to you upon bringing back the probe.
Once your soil sample is obtained, you may take it to the drop box (located in the SmartStation parking lot at 1637 4th Ave W, Monroe, WI), or drop if back off a the Extension Office and we will take it to the drop box.
Rock River Laboratories will bill you directly for the cost of your soil test(s). Soil testing begins at $10 for a routine test, $20 for a complete test, and multiple add-on tests for more specific data are available at an additional cost.
How to Take a Soil Sample
- From each area to be sampled separately, remove any overlying mulch, compost or sod. Soil samples should be collected from the top 5-7 inches of soil. Collect approximately one cup of soil with a clean trowel or shovel at four random locations and ten random locations if using a soil probe.
- Using a soil probe: Push the probe vertically into the ground 6-8 inches. Twist or pull it out of the ground and remove the collected core sample.
- Place the four or ten soil samples collected from a distinct sampling area into a clean plastic container and mix those samples together thoroughly. Samples from different areas should not be mixed together. Remember, the sample should only contain soil and no organic matter (you want to test the soil, not the mulch or sod).
- One cup of soil from each area to be analyzed should be placed in a heavy duty plastic or soil sample bag for analysis.
- Label the sample bag(s).