Jodi -- don't feel like an idiot. 'Cause if you're one, so am I!! I made a 48 square foot double dug raised bed this year (10 inches high) and added compost (mushroom & cow) and also bagged garden soil and dug it all into my native soil. I looked carefully at the ingredients of all the commercial gardening soils and chose one that had the most diverse set of ingredients. In my zeal to get everything dug in, it didn't dawn on me that one of the ingredients would raise my soil ph (ash). I had a soil test done by Clemson Extension Cooperative and lo-and-behold my ph was 7.4! I scratched my head and thought "how can this number be right" -- acidic soil where I live. LOL .... I already had my crops in so there wasn't anything I could do @ the time. Today I pulled out the remaining plants and double dug in 2.5 pounds of aluminum sulfate right before the rain hit. (This amount was recommended by my soil sample). All I have to do is turn my soil over every few days for 2 weeks & then I'm ready to plant my fall crops. Why don't you contact the MN Extension to find out exactly how much aluminum sulfate to add to quickly lower your ph into the desired range. I'm not familiar with your climate so I don't know if this would give you time to grow any fall crops. Good luck & stop beating yourself up!!

I have not tried this, but here's a link that will give you another link to a simple method using purple cabbage extract! http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/soil/msg0210391416995.html I don't know how fine the scale is, you can read the method which is the first post at the link in the first post on the thread linked above. The probe type meters may or may not be OK, problem is calibrating them, or if the one you have isn't adjustable, at least knowing the error at whatever pH you're at.

Marshall, most of what you stated is true - but is only a small part of the picture. I do send samples off for analysis as far from Texas as Oregon - because I know how to corelate the information resulting from my sample to my 'little piece of earth' (or compost). And I desire the highest quality results - be it nutrition, condition/texture or microbe population count - for the same dollar. Yes, different test methods produce different results (identified at the bottom of most test reports). Test results can still be correlated to a different type of test result. Still 'apples to apples'. Still only a matter of education based on a person's degree of interest. This thread subject is important, in my opinion, simply because education is important. We should never stop asking questions, to learn more about improving our own piece of earth, for which we have accepted responsibility. In the main, soil tests ARE 'sacred' to state-run soil laboratories and to the thousands of U.S. county agricultural extension agents who are continuously called upon to render professional services to the commercial harvest business community - based on such science-based tests. Your grocery store depends on them. See, it is still "all about the money". Most plant/soil related research is focused toward, and paid for by commercial agriculture and the companies that support that industry, which feeds our growing population. So I think that tests based on regional soil conditions is a good thing - but tests should be also be sufficiently complete to offer insight into specific planting needs in MY piece of earth - which anyone can easily learn to do by reading. Finding the best test is important to me. Unfortunately, most people who receive soil analysis reports are not also told that they can take that report to their county agricultural extension agent for interpretation to their specific needs. Agreed, the resulting written piece of paper is worthless without knowing how to apply the information. But the public service Ag.Agent is trained in how to do that (and local Master Gardeners). Anyone can research what the relationship of CA is to MG based on given factors. Education IS the Agent's primary focus (and the state land-grant university that supports them), even to the homeowner - which is why the Master Gardener program is supported. Granted, home-style agriculture/horticulture does not usually operate on commercial scale. But science-based soil information is not usually about 'scale'. Scale is a matter of applied mechanics based on time and money. As a soilmaker/nurseryman/landscaper in south central Florida many years ago, I learned (the hard way) to find out what the soil conditions were (in advance) and to ensure proper plant-specific moisture, before installing a variety of plants in someone's property - particularly gardens, shrubs and trees (soil test for nutrients/pH/salt is only part of that gamut). Some of my Florida client's soils received different amendments before certain plantings took place because different plants do have different needs - to thrive (not just survive). Replacing dead plants cost me money, and was bad for my business. Soil tests were simply one means by which I made decisions that SAVED me (and the property owner) time/money. Learning to decipher soil analysis results is not difficult, but is (unfortunately) one of the things many gardeners are reticent to investigate, even after problems are encountered. An ounce of prevention is STILL worth a 'pound of cure', and having a base of reference on which to make improvements to soil (and compost) - is important to me, in what I do. And agree that 'organics' still takes a 'back seat' to the chemical industry - regretably. But that 'world view' is changing...Slowly, but surely - because that's about human survival on this planet. Robert

Two types of injury may occur: ( 1 ) An excess of one element may lead to a deficiency of another which ultimately results in a deranged metabolism, e.g., excess nitrogen or excess phosphorus may result in insufficient potassium and excess potassium may lead to deficiency of magnesium or calcium. This type of injury applies particularly to essential nutrients. ( 2 ) The presence of an element may directly injure the protoplasm and bring about the speedy death of the plant.