Simple pH test

shumungus

Member
Livestock Farmer
Lab seems to have lost my soil samples, need to crack on with work and need to know pH of block of land. Have a calibrated optical pH meter for checking water for the chooks and was thinking is it just a matter of mixing some soil samples with distilled water and checking for a simple farmgate pH test? Is this a thing? if so what amounts of water etc do I use?
@Cab-over Pete
 

An Gof

Member
Location
Cornwall
Lab seems to have lost my soil samples, need to crack on with work and need to know pH of block of land. Have a calibrated optical pH meter for checking water for the chooks and was thinking is it just a matter of mixing some soil samples with distilled water and checking for a simple farmgate pH test? Is this a thing? if so what amounts of water etc do I use?
@Cab-over Pete

Just find someone with a BDH kit to do a simple in field test. Local agronomist or lime supplier should have one. Local ag merchant may have facility if you take a soil sample to them.
 
Lab seems to have lost my soil samples, need to crack on with work and need to know pH of block of land. Have a calibrated optical pH meter for checking water for the chooks and was thinking is it just a matter of mixing some soil samples with distilled water and checking for a simple farmgate pH test? Is this a thing? if so what amounts of water etc do I use?
@Cab-over Pete

@Mounty will be able to supply you with a pH testing kit in quick time I’m sure.
I’m not familiar with the meter you’re describing, but it might be fine, might not
 

DrDunc

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Dunsyre
Can do the same here with a SOYL analysis system and GPS variable rate spreader or similar.
Two farms locally had a fellow out with a quad sampling, then the variable rate lime spreader follows. Was told that whatever the rate applied per acre, the "service" is £100/acre 😱 Not sure if the price is correct because I don't see how that stacks up unless you're putting 3+ tonnes everywhere???
 

An Gof

Member
Location
Cornwall
Two farms locally had a fellow out with a quad sampling, then the variable rate lime spreader follows. Was told that whatever the rate applied per acre, the "service" is £100/acre 😱 Not sure if the price is correct because I don't see how that stacks up unless you're putting 3+ tonnes everywhere???
Certainly not paying anything like for SOYL
 
Farmer in the US was spreading lime , had his field sampled , then it's set on his GPS or some computer to apply the lime at different rates over the field , I'm sure I've seen farmers doing it here

So just variable rate lime then. I’ve been offering that service for 16 years, some have been for longer.

I have about 10-15% of my customers using the service. I don’t sample with gps, if customers want that they use Soyl or Rhiza or something like that. We then get the information required and pop the card into the rate controller, job done.

It works well, very accurate. For the most part it doesn’t tell the farmer anything more than thoroughly sampling without gps, but it would be an advantage when spreading in big fields where it’s difficult to gauge where you are with the spreader.

There can be huge variations across the field but in those cases it’s a totally different soil type that causes the change and everyone involved knew about the change before sampling. In most situations the variables are quite subtle say from 2200kg/ha to 2300kg/ha which makes absolutely no difference whatsoever to the job.
What it does do very well is give a new manager or farmer a good idea of what soil types they are dealing with without having to give the time of experience adding up.
 
Two farms locally had a fellow out with a quad sampling, then the variable rate lime spreader follows. Was told that whatever the rate applied per acre, the "service" is £100/acre 😱 Not sure if the price is correct because I don't see how that stacks up unless you're putting 3+ tonnes everywhere???
Contractor spreading lime here last week said he was back spreading at a local arable farm after a 2 year gap.
Farmer had been using someone doing variable rate but for whatever reason it wasn’t working out for him so had reverted to how it was done before.

Contractor said he had looked into putting variable rate on his spreader but the cost and lack of customer interest had put him off for now
 

Agrifreak

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Mid Ulster
Lab seems to have lost my soil samples, need to crack on with work and need to know pH of block of land. Have a calibrated optical pH meter for checking water for the chooks and was thinking is it just a matter of mixing some soil samples with distilled water and checking for a simple farmgate pH test? Is this a thing? if so what amounts of water etc do I use?
@Cab-over Pete
Anyway, back to the matter in hand. You could try greenmount's horticulture center, they could advise you further about your home test, or could probably do a quick ph for you.
 
Contractor spreading lime here last week said he was back spreading at a local arable farm after a 2 year gap.
Farmer had been using someone doing variable rate but for whatever reason it wasn’t working out for him so had reverted to how it was done before.

Contractor said he had looked into putting variable rate on his spreader but the cost and lack of customer interest had put him off for now


Lots of people seem to use gps for a couple of terms and then find it’s not really working for them.
And many will use it for P+K but still ask me to test for lime.
 
Contractor spreading lime here last week said he was back spreading at a local arable farm after a 2 year gap.
Farmer had been using someone doing variable rate but for whatever reason it wasn’t working out for him so had reverted to how it was done before.

Contractor said he had looked into putting variable rate on his spreader but the cost and lack of customer interest had put him off for now

Depending on the area, variable rate is alright but can be a lot of messing around for not much gain. I'd be hard convinced to ever bother if it was me.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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