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successful summer starts now when it comes to growing needs
Whether you are looking for better crop
production this year or just a greener lawn this summer, New Mexico
State University and the Doņa Ana County Extension Office would like
to help.
The university’s Soil, Water and Agricultural
Testing Laboratory, better known as the SWAT Lab, will test soil
samples from gardens, lawns and agricultural properties.
The lab will analyze the samples for both
macro and micro nutrients including nitrogen as well as organic
matter content, the amount of salt in the soil and other properties.
The lab will then give recommendations to
help homeowners and farmers better understand
their fertilizer needs.
"Using the information to find the right
fertilizer can save a property owner or farmer hundreds or even
thousands of dollars," said John White, Doņa Ana County Extension
Agent.
White said commercial agriculture soils should
be tested every year.
Homeowners should test their soil every three
to five years.
Testing the soil can also help homeowners save
water. If grass doesn’t seem to grow as well as it should, a
homeowner may try watering more often. "If the problem is poor soil
structure, over-watering can make things worse by leaching out what
nutrients are still there," said White.
White recommends taking random samples in 10
to 15 parts of the property, at the depth of the roots you are
concerned about – about six inches for grass, deeper for trees.
These soil samples should then be mixed together to get a good,
representative sample (about two pounds) and brought for testing or
mailed inside a non-breakable, nonmetal
container.
"We will give you an unbiased interpretation.
We aren’t trying to sell you fertilizer, so the information we give
you won’t be slanted in a certain direction," said White.
Samples can be taken or mailed to the SWAT lab
on the NMSU campus, Box 30003, Dept. 3Q, PGEL Building, Las Cruces,
NM 88003 or dropped off at the Doņa Ana County Extension Office, 530
North Church St., Las Cruces, NM 88001.
The standard soil test is $17. A check must be
included if the sample is mailed. Prices and forms for other tests
as well as other soil and water testing information can be found at
the SWAT Lab Web site,
http://swatlab.nmsu.edu.
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Photo is available at
http://ucommphoto.nmsu.edu/newsphoto/swat_lab.jpg |
