It’s Almost May!
County
extension is always a busy place and spring time is twice as fun! This time of year, 4-H gets hopping as schools
prepare for summer break then camp, homemakers show off their finished winter
projects and agriculture is always on fire in Kentucky. For the horticulture department,
spring brings everyone out to the garden. Add some Kentucky Derby and the end
of April can get downright overwhelming!
Gardening is just the beginning. We have processed and sent over 130 soil test
samples to the UK soils lab this past week alone! Didn’t know we could do that? Well, the
University of Kentucky will test your soil, get results back in about 2 weeks,
and make recommendations all for 7 bucks.
It is the best deal in horticulture!
Follow these basic steps:
*Take
multiple examples of the area to be tested, 4 to 8 inches down.
*Mix
these together to equal 2 cups of soil for each area or crop.
*Allow
to dry thoroughly.
*
Put in clean baggy/container and bring to the Extension Office at 810 Barret
Ave.
*
Bring cash or check, its $7 for each area to be tested.
The
test results are mailed to you (we get a copy too) with your soil’s pH and
readings of major and minor nutrients along with information on how and what to
change for the plants to be grown there.
For more details on taking a soil sample:
Worried about lead or heavy
metals in your soil? We can help with that too. The University of Massachusetts
does these tests and requires at least 2 cups of dry soil and it can be sent to
them through our office. The test
includes the soil pH and nutrient levels with results specifically addressing
any contamination, in approximately 3 weeks.
The cost of the testing is $12.00, another sweet deal!
Of course we
still answer horticulture questions, Identify insects and plants and provide
information from two of the best Land-grant colleges in the nation!
I guess it
isn’t much of a surprise that we are so busy after all……
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