Perform a laboratory soil test any
time you are even considering buying lime or fertilizer. It can make the
difference between the best food plot you can imagine and total failure and
save you money at the same time.
How often have you read that statement in Whitetail News? You’ll find
it somewhere in almost every issue. The reason? It’s true. Soil testing is the most
important step in ensuring food plot success. One thing all
food plotters have in common is they want their food plots to grow vigorously
and be lush, healthy and attractive to deer. Most of us also want to eliminate
wasted expenses from our hunting budgets. There is only one tool that will help
you accomplish both: a laboratory soil test. For your food plot plants to
flourish, they must have access to sufficient nutrients. Plants get some of the
nutrients they need from the soil. Most soils, though, lack one or more
essential nutrients, and fertilizer must be added at planting to bring levels
to optimum range. Most soils are also low in soil pH, a condition that prevents
high-quality food plot plantings from freely accessing nutrients in the soil.
In such cases, lime must be added to the seedbed to raise soil pH before
planting. Regarding how much lime and fertilizer is needed in a specific situation,
one size does not fit all. Soils differ widely in the levels of nutrients they
hold, in soil pH and in how well (or poorly) they can hold lime activity and
fertilizer. That’s why the only way to accurately determine how much lime, how
much fertilizer and the specific blend of fertilizer you might need is to have
a qualified soil-testing laboratory analyze a sample of your soil. That’s why we
continue to hammer the aforementioned statement. We want you to get the best
performance from your investment in food plots. The Whitetail Institute’s Soil
Test Kit allows you to determine exactly how much lime and fertilizer is
required. And because only a laboratory soil test kit can offer you precise
recommendations tailored to your soil and crop, it’s the only way to make sure you
don’t waste money buying lime or fertilizer you really don’t need. The
Whitetail Institute soil test kit is easy to use, and the report, which is also
easy to follow, is prepared by the Whitetail Institute’s laboratory and mailed
or emailed to you quickly. The Whitetail Institute also backs up its soil test
kit with free consultation if needed at (800) 688-3030, extension 3.
