Dave McManus
Crowell Gardens
dmcmanus@cg.net

Dave,

That is a very good question, and we are sure that your question will be of sure benefit to other growers as well.

Let's start with water sampling: request a sample bottle from us, or in a pinch you can use a clean plastic bottle to collect your water sample. It's important to be sure that the bottle is filled completely, allowing no air space to be present in the bottle. Make sure the bottle is labeled properly with a description. Make any notes on the submittal form you feel are pertinent to the testing, and be sure to keep a copy for your records.

Soilless Media Sampling: Select 10 to 20 containers at random from the crop to be sampled. Gently remove the top 3" of media to be sure any topdress fertilizer or soluble salts that may have accumulated are excluded from the sample. Make sure you do not break any controlled release prills in the sampling process. Collect samples from the top, mid and bottom levels of each container. Mix the collected material in a plastic container, and put 2 cups of the mixed sample(s) into a plastic sample bag. Again, make sure the sample is labeled with a description, and record any notes you feel are relevant on the submittal form and retain for your records.

Note: It is always a good idea to have plant tissue analysis done in conjunction with a media analysis.

Plant Tissue Sampling: Take plant tissue samples every 2-4 weeks from the same variety. Collect only recently matured leaves, just below the growing point, from at least 10 randomly selected plants. When using the analysis to diagnose an existing problem, collect from healthy and unhealthy areas. This provides a useful comparison, from which we can frequently determine a corrective strategy. Air dry the collected samples for 24 hours, then place in the paper sack labeled Plant Tissue. This step is very important... do not deviate from this, never use plastic bags. It is also important to make sure no insect damaged or contaminated plants are included with the sample. As always, label properly and include any information you feel is relevant and will help us with the analysis.

Note: It is always a good idea to have media analysis done in conjunction with a plant tissue analysis.

Soil Sampling: Sample soil in 5 to 10 locations within a visually similar area. Areas that appear to have differing soil qualities, crop growth rates or cultural treatments should be sampled separately. Scrape away surface residue and take a sample core to the depth of 6", or 3"-4" in the case of turf. Mix cores together in a CLEAN plastic container. Air dry before placing into plastic sample bag. Label appropriately and again, include your notes that may be of value to us on the submittal form and keep a copy for your records.

Note: Soil sampling devices should be stainless steel, chrome plated or rigid plastic. As mentioned above the mixing pail should be of plastic, and very clean. Maintain at least 50 feet from roads, barns, lanes or fence rows when sampling.

Thanks for your question, and we hope this helps.

Bentley Mills
Vice President

How will I get my test results?

At MMI we strive to provide many methods for our clients to retrieve their analytical results. We can post your results to our web site where you will receive a user name and password for a secure transfer of your results in pdf format; once created you can always return to view your results on our secure server. Another method of receiving your analytical testing results is through e-mail, if you provide your e-mail address we can send your results as soon as they are finished. All options including faxing and mail are at no cost, just specify which one is most convenient for you on the sample submittal form.

There are many labs that offer testing for the horticulture industry, what makes MMI different from other labs.?

The MMI difference is our long term professional staff and owner. Our highly trained staff which is a phone call away can be reached 8:00 A.M. to 5:00 p.m. eastern standard time Monday-Friday. Our expertise are in plant nutrition and production, we promise to never sell anything other than our professional analytical, consulting and research SERVICES.