Interpreting Your Results

-The Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium tests measure the amount of those nutrients that would be “available” for the plant to use. Some of these nutrients may be “bound” or insoluble in a form that is not readily available for the plant to use.

-The soil pH can also affect the nutrient availability to the plant. A pH that is too high or too low can make some nutrients insoluble, and therefore unusable by plants.

- Soils with high clay content often trap nutrients in between the clay particles, slowing the availability of the nutrient to the plant.

-The test is not designed to test actual fertilizers. It is designed to test the pH level and nutrient availability of soil.

-The results of the nutrient tests are reported as relative test amounts of Low, Medium and High. The following approximate values may be assigned to these amounts determined in the test. This is also shown on page 16 of the Gardening Guide Manual.

Nutrient	Level	lb per 100 sq ft	lb per acre
Nitrogen (N)	Low	0.09 lb	40 lb
	Medium	0.37 lb	160 lb
	High	0.73 lb	320 lb
Phosphorus (P)	Low	0.02 lb	8 lb
	Medium	0.06 lb	20 lb
	High	0.15 lb	64 lb
Potassium (K)	Low	0.09 lb	40 lb
	Medium	0.18 lb	80 lb
	High	0.37 lb	160 lb