# Soil sample



## Blay (Oct 24, 2020)

Well here it is December in northern Ohio , and my question is can i take a soil sample at this time?


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## JML (Jul 26, 2021)

Per your previous post, you seeded in early oct. then did fertilizer in late oct. At this point the soil is too cold for any fertilizers/amendments to said results (aside from lime) to be effective. I know your eager, but deep breaths, relax. Spend the winter reading this forum and do your sample taking in mid March.

Selecting a soil sample: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7162


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## Lawn Whisperer (Feb 15, 2021)

You can take soil samples anytime as long as the soil isn't frozen. As mentioned above, amendments is best done during the growing season, with the exception of lime or citric acid.


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## ceriano (Oct 6, 2021)

JML said:


> Per your previous post, you seeded in early oct. then did fertilizer in late oct. At this point the soil is too cold for any fertilizers/amendments to said results (aside from lime) to be effective. I know your eager, but deep breaths, relax. Spend the winter reading this forum and do your sample taking in mid March.
> 
> Selecting a soil sample: https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=7162


I know organic ferts need higher temperatures to break down but chemicals should get absorbed relatively quickly. Am I missing something? I was planning to pull a sample in February.


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## JML (Jul 26, 2021)

ceriano said:


> JML said:
> 
> 
> > Per your previous post, you seeded in early oct. then did fertilizer in late oct. At this point the soil is too cold for any fertilizers/amendments to said results (aside from lime) to be effective. I know your eager, but deep breaths, relax. Spend the winter reading this forum and do your sample taking in mid March.
> ...


Correct in terms of the fertilizer breaking down. But once soil temperatures get below ~45, the grass goes dormant and very little of that fertilizer is taken up by the root system and a high percentage can be lost to rains/snow. So it's significantly less efficient. The part of my post that I think was missed was that the (very eager) OP did a full Reno and had just applied a starter fertilizer very late in the season. There needs to be a waiting period after fertilizer has been applied before you take your soil sample to ensure the sample isn't artificially skewed.

I'd strongly recommend that those new soil samples/renovations spend the next few months reading and learning how to pick a quality lab, developing a plan, etc. Doing a test now, when you can't action on it for 3+ months doesn't make the best sense from a soil makeup perspective.


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## SteelCutLawn (Jul 12, 2021)

Fellow Ohioan here. I took my samples in November with the thought of spending the winter scouring the forum and preparing my 2022 applications.


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## Blay (Oct 24, 2020)

It is the first week of March and I'm anxious to take a soil sample. Can I take the sample if the ground is wet and when is a good time?


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## Bkeller500 (Jul 2, 2018)

In addition to when to take a soil sample......can someone explain how best to take a soil sample? How deep should the soil come from? How to take a samples from a 1.5 acre property? Take soil from front of yard and back of yard and combine? First time and unsure!


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## ENVY23 (Sep 14, 2021)

Bkeller500 said:


> In addition to when to take a soil sample......can someone explain how best to take a soil sample? How deep should the soil come from? How to take a samples from a 1.5 acre property? Take soil from front of yard and back of yard and combine? First time and unsure!


https://thelawnforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=3124

Tons of info in the soil subforum, hope this helps!


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