Soil Testing 

Soil testing is the first step in determining the optimal nutrition program. A soil test can tell you a lot about the soil conditions at your farm, including nutrient levels, pH, base saturations, organic matter, and cation-exchange capacity (CEC). All of these factors play a role in how your plants absorb water and nutrients, whether those nutrients are usable in the soil, and the biological activity determining the soil health.

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Tissue Sampling

Soil testing will reveal the health and nutrient profile of the soil, but it won’t show how plants actually absorb these nutrients. A number of factors can affect nutrient absorption in plants, and this won’t be clear from a soil sample. This is where tissue sampling comes in. A plant tissue sample will show what nutrients the plant has absorbed and the movement of nutrients throughout the plant.

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