Soil health can be measured, monitored and managed to increase sustainability and productivity. However, these practices take time to improve soil health. If properly managed and performed in a timely manner, these practices can be worth the effort for potential benefits in sustainability and productivity.

Soil productivity is influenced by its chemical characteristics, physical structure and biological activity. Measurements of these properties provide an estimate of the soil’s ability to produce high quality and high-yielding crops.

Indicators of soil productivity can be tracked through time, compared in side-by-side fields, or compared to a reference soil and are useful to assess the effect of management or evaluate problem areas.

For a quick and simple assessment of soil health, get out a shovel and dig. Compare a cropped soil with undisturbed fence-line soil. How deep do the roots go? Does the soil break apart easily? Does it smell earthy? Is there evidence of worms? Darker color indicates more soil organic matter or soil carbon. The shovel test can give the grower an idea of their soil quality and identify what problems they might be facing.

A big part of evaluating soil health includes soil testing. Chemical soil characteristics, including pH, soil organic matter, nutrient levels and cation exchange capacity are part of routine soil analyses performed by accredited soil testing labs. Field tests are available for many soil properties, but they often rely on subjective interpretation of potentially imprecise measurements.

Soil testing can be done in the late fall, throughout the winter, or early spring as soil conditions allow. Soil testing in the fall improves reliability of fertilization recommendations and gives adequate time to determine what soil amendments need to be applied and to make the applications. Making chemical changes to soil is a slow process and requires time.

Using soil sample recommendations to determine amendments to apply may increase yields and/or save on fertilizer costs. The ultimate worth of soil testing is influenced by when the sample is taken and the amendments applied.

In Ohio, soil sampling is often conducted from late summer to late fall because of better soil sampling conditions than in winter or spring, and because it gives growers time to make fertilizer decisions prior to application.

Without soil test results to base recommendations upon, fertilizer could be either over or under applied. Over-application of fertilizer is usually an economic loss and under-application may cause sub-optimal yields and grain protein or poor quality on fruit, vegetable and tobacco crops.

Guided by field research, experts at The Ohio State University have developed guidelines for soil sampling to help farms get the maximum benefit out of their fertilizer.

These include sampling in late fall or later, to allow adequate time to amend soils.

If fall fertilizing is preferred, soil test as late as possible while still allowing time for test results before fertilizing.

Although it may seem like a waste of time and resources to soil test, laboratory soil analyses often cost less than $40, yet under- or over-applying by just 10-15 pounds of fertilizer per acre can often affect the bottom line cost by more than that.

Those interested in learning more about soil testing and soil health management should read these OSU websites and publications: http://southcenters.osu.edu/soil-and-bioenergy, http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/pdf/1132.pdf, http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/pdf/1133.pdf and http://ohioline.osu.edu/agf-fact/pdf/Interpreting_a_Soil_Test_Report_AGF-514-12.pdf or contact or a county Extension office.

For more information on commercial fruit and vegetable production, visit http://southcenters.osu.edu/horticulture

To be added to the Ohio commercial horticulture list serve to receive Ohio fruit and vegetable crop updates, contact Brad Bergefurd at Bergefurd.1@osu.edu or call the OSU South Centers 1-800-860-7232 or 740-289-2071, extension 132.