Garden

[Twins Mom]

You all are reminding me that having soil test done is key. Can I get sample now while not frozen and take to have tested in new year? Is timing relevant?

[JustJazzmom]

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@Twins Mom wrote:
You all are reminding me that having soil test done is key. Can I get sample now while not frozen and take to have tested in new year? Is timing relevant?

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You can take the sample now. The important thing is the soil should be dry. If it’s wet, lay it out on a flat surface (cookie sheet?) to dry out. Put about a half cup inside a plastic bag. You can take it to your local extension service to do. 

Why should it be dry? The water if it’s wet skews the pH numbers higher because of the hydrogen in the water. Be sure your sample is random & about 4” below the soil line (where the plants’ roots are). 

[sfnative]

@JustJazzmom

@Twins Mom

@BirkiLady

@Nightowlz

@software

(I am so late in responding - an entire week -  as I had a molar with root canal x2 go bad, with huge abscess and fistula [lots and lots of throbbing pain].)

I'd like to thank everyone who took the time to respond to my query.  Living in a townhome community, I knew the soil had been tested within the last year, per the Chair of the Landscape Committee, so am awaiting her return from a trip to the coast for soil testing data.

Again, many thanks to all of you. ~Rebecca

[BirkiLady]

@sfnative  Hope you are feeling much better. Sorry to hear you've been through dental surgery. 

[dex]

@sfnative@Every year I put pine needles down aro7nd my blueberry plants and omg they are the biggest and best berries in the state.I work the old needles into the ground throughout the year and by the next spring they are gone and it is time for more.

[sfnative]

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@dex wrote:

@sfnative@Every year I put pine needles down aro7nd my blueberry plants and omg they are the biggest and best berries in the state.I work the old needles into the ground throughout the year and by the next spring they are gone and it is time for more.

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@dex

Thank you!  I'm going to share this with my daughter who has a blueberry bush in her backyard.

[sfnative]

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@BirkiLady wrote:

@sfnative  Hope you are feeling much better. Sorry to hear you've been through dental surgery. 

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@BirkiLady

Oh my word that #4 tooth and humongous abscess was something else.  Had 2 different antibiotics and after experiencing remaining pain and some infection, had to have injections directly into affected area.  Thought it would never end.  The one saving grace was my endodontist who did do a great job.  Problem was that the infection was long-standing and originated in a teeny root which was an off-shoot of a regular root, but could not be seen on a regular x-ray, but came through on the CT scan.  Thank goodness!

[dex]

@sfnative. One more thing that your daughter should know is that you need more than one bush to get the best crop.I have four bushes and get around fifty pounds.

[sfnative]

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@dex wrote:

@sfnative. One more thing that your daughter should know is that you need more than one bush to get the best crop.I have four bushes and get around fifty pounds.

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@dex

Thanks so much for the great advice!  Will be sure to pass it on to my daughter.