How To Get An A&M Soil Test: Step by Step

Texas A&M performs soil testing for Texas gardeners in their Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory. I broke down the process of submitting a soil test sample to A&M into easy steps because the A&M website can be challenging to navigate.

The Reasons to Get A Soil Test

There are a number of good reasons to get the soil in your North Texas garden tested:

1. A soil test will provide a snapshot of your soil’s fertility, and will let you know where you have significant deficiencies.
2. Soil tests provide a “baseline” so that you can look for trends.
3. Soil test information helps you save money on fertilizers and amendments because you can buy only what you really need.

The 6 Steps to Getting A Soil Test from A&M

1. Identify The Areas of Your Garden That You Will Test

A&M allows you to submit multiple soil samples into one single request. This is great for North Texas gardeners with a large yard, or multiple growing areas. For example, you might want to test your vegetable bed and your lawn. Since these areas have different nutritional needs, it’s a good idea to get each area tested separately.

2. Collect the Soil Samples

Once you have identified the areas of your yard that you will have tested, you need to properly collect soil samples.

For each area to be tested:

1. Clear area of any plant material or debris.
2. Cut a core from the soil six inches deep and place into a clean bucket. Repeat 8-10 times in the area being considered for testing.
3. Mix all the collected soil thoroughly, and place 2-3 cups of mixture into a quart-sized, resealable, heavy gauge plastic bag. Air-dry soil if it feels wet to the touch.
4. Label the bag with a permanent marker, clearly identifying each bag with a simple ID, such as “veggie garden”, or “lawn”.

3. Complete Soil Test Sample Information and Pay Online

I visited the A&M Soil Test website more than 20 times before discovering the option to complete the Soil Sample Information Form and pay online at all the same time. (Again, the website is complicated.)

This is by far the EASIEST way to complete the necessary forms and pay without confusing calculations. Here are the steps:

1. Click here to be taken to the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Soil, Water, Forage Testing Laboratory Prepayment Option.
   
   
2. From the drop-down menu, select URBAN & HOMEOWNER Soil Sample Form, the quantity of soil samples, and click Add to Cart.
   
   
3. On the next page, complete all of the required fields, and click “Continue”. Here are some tips for this section:
   
   Under “Client Sample ID”, write the ID that you used to label your soil samples.
   
   
   
   Under “Analysis Requested”, we recommend that homeowners get the “Routine Analysis”. This covers the macro and micro nutrients that are most important for home gardens.
   
   
   
4. Complete steps to process your payment.
5. Once payment is confirmed, print out the “Order Receipt”, OR the order confirmation that was sent to your email.
   
   A&M confirms that the Order Receipt is all that is needed to include in the shipment. HOWEVER, A&M does recommend printing the original Urban and Homeowner Soil Sample Information Form for your reference because it has important information about collecting (summarized above) and proper shipping (summarized below).
   

4. Package and Mail Your Soil Test Samples

1. Place the plastic sample bag(s) and your “Order Receipt” in a box or a padded envelope and send:
   
   USPS:
   Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory
   2478 TAMU
   College Station, TX 77843-2478
   
   FEDEX, UPS, ETC:
   Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory
   2610 F&B Road
   College Station, TX 77845
   Phone: 979-845-4816
   Email: soiltesting@tamu.edu
   

5. Analyze Your Soil Test Report

Texas A&M summarizes your soil test report with recommendations, but here is how to analyze your soil test results.

1. For the nutrients tested, the soil test report will reveal the concentration of these nutrients. You can compare each concentration to CL. CL is the “critical level”, the point which no additional nutrient is recommended.
2. The most likely pH result for North Texas gardens will be alkaline because of our clay soils, but actual pH analysis is provided.
   
   
3. Based on comparison of nutrient concentrations to critical level, A&M makes amendment recommendations.
   
   

6. Amend Your Garden Spaces According to Your Soil Test Report

A&M provides fertilizer application recommendations, but you will need to calculate how much to use based on which fertilizer you select. Luckily, A&M provides an online calculator for this.

1. Visit the Soil, Water and Forage Testing Laboratory Urban Fertilizer Management Calculator.
2. Enter the soil test results and the recommended fertilizer application.
   
   
3. Select your fertilizer from the drop down menu. For example, if you use high nitrogen Blood Meal, select 12-0-0.
   
   
4. Use the results to calculate application for your garden size.
   
   
   
   If you have a 200 square foot garden bed, 200/1000 = .2
   .2 x 8.3 lbs = 1.66 lbs of Blood Meal fertilizer, or one-third of a 5-lb bag.

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Callie Works-Leary

Founder of The Dallas Garden School, Callie is an expert garden educator with 17 years of personal and professional gardening experience. She specializes in growing food, small-space gardening, managing community gardens, and plant propagation. She has an MBA from Southern Methodist University, a bachelor's degree from Skidmore College, and served as a horticulture intern for the Dallas Arboretum & Botanical Gardens. Callie is a member of the Native Plant Society of Texas, The Herb Society of America, the National Garden Bureau, and is a Certified Texas Master Gardener.

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