Written by: Chandler Strickland

Edits by: Pierce Young

When it comes to establishing quality food plots, you want to ensure you get the most out of your time, effort, and money. Just like any investment, the goal should be to maximize output. One of the simplest and most effective tools to achieve this for food plots is a soil test. By understanding the condition of your soil, you can save time, labor, and money on food plots, while at the same time maximizing their production year after year.

Collecting a Soil Sample

Collecting a soil sample is straightforward and requires minimal equipment:

  • Clean plastic bucket
  • Snack-size ziplock bag (or specialized soil sample bag)
  • Shovel (or soil probe if available)

Steps for Sampling:

  1. Depth: Dig 3–6 inches into the soil to collect your samples.
  2. Multiple Spots within a Single Plot: For the best representation, collect about 10 sub-samples from several areas within the food plot.
  3. Mixing: Combine all sub-samples in your bucket and fill a snack-size ziplock/sample bag (roughly 2 cups) of the mixture.
  4. Labeling: Clearly label each sample bag for the corresponding plot.
  5. Repeat: Sample all food plots separately (if a long field like a powerline/gasline right-of-way, you may want to separate it into different samples).

Once collected, samples can be taken to your local extension office for analysis, or sent to other soil labs. Typical costs are $10–$12 per sample, with results usually returned in 1-2 weeks, depending on the season.

Understanding Soil Test Results

A standard soil test provides two key pieces of information:

  1. Soil pH – Measures soil acidity or alkalinity.
  2. Nutrient Levels – Includes key nutrients like nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K), along with fertilizer and lime recommendations.

Soil pH Explained

Soil pH affects a plant’s ability to absorb nutrients. If the pH is too high or too low, fertilizer may not be fully utilized and bound to the soil, reducing the effectiveness of your inputs. For example, a pH of 4.5 may only allow 20-35% of fertilizer to be available to plants.

  • pH Scale: 0.0–14.0 (7.0 is neutral)
    • Below 7.0: Acidic
    • Above 7.0: Alkaline
  • Ideal Range for Food Plots: 6.0–7.0

If your soil is too acidic, lime can be applied to raise the pH. Lime comes in different forms, including agricultural (Ag), pelletized, and liquid varieties. Application rates vary depending on the type, and it can take 3–12 months to see the full effect, so it’s best to apply lime soon after testing.

Comparisons of Different Types of Lime

Agricultural Lime

Pros:

  • Most cost-effective option per ton of lime.
  • Excellent for raising soil pH over time.
  • Long-lasting effect in the soil (3-5 years).
  • Widely available.

Cons:

  • Slow-acting; may take 3–12 months to see full effect.
  • Heavy and bulky to transport and apply and requires a specialized lime truck or buggy (usually available with purchase).

Pelletized Lime

Pros:

  • Easier and cleaner to handle than powdered lime.
  • Can be applied with standard fertilizer spreaders.
  • Faster initial reaction than powdered lime due to smaller particle size.

Cons:

  • More expensive per ton than ag lime (often 25x more expensive than Ag lime over a 5-year period).
  • Shorter term effect in the soil than Ag lime (1 year)
  • Limited availability compared to ag lime in some regions.

Liquid Lime

Pros:

  • Fast-acting; can begin correcting soil pH within weeks.
  • Easy to apply with existing sprayers.
  • Can be combined with fertilizer or herbicide applications.
  • Useful for targeted, small-area treatments.

Cons:

  • Most expensive form of lime per unit of pH correction (can be 500x more expensive than Ag lime over a 5-year period)
  • Effect on soil is the shortest-lived and must be repeated every 1-3 months.
  • Less effective for large-scale, very low pH adjustments.

Fertilizer Recommendations

Soil tests also provide fertilizer recommendations in terms of N-P-K (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) measured in pounds per acre. Understanding the fertilizer bag labels is essential:

  • Each number on a fertilizer bag is the percentage of each nutrient.
    • Example: a bag labeled 13-13-13 contains 13% nitrogen, 13% phosphorus, and 13% potassium.
  • For a 50-pound bag, this translates to 6.5 pounds of each nutrient.
  • Always calculate actual pounds per acre based on the recommendation to ensure proper application.
  • Know what your plants need. For example, legumes like clover or soybeans make their own nitrogen. If all the soil needs is potassium, you could purchase a higher percentage fertilizer like Potash (0-0-60) for a comparative cost of a general-use fertilizer and get more nutrients out of a single bag for your money.

The Benefits of Soil Testing

A simple soil test allows you to:

  • Identify nutrient deficiencies in your food plots
  • Apply the correct type and amount of fertilizer and lime
  • Increase the production of high-quality forage

Healthy, nutrient-rich food plots benefit wildlife by providing superior nutrition and create better hunting opportunities.

By taking the time to test and amend your soil, you ensure that every dollar and every hour invested in your food plot is optimized for success.

For more information about wildlife management visit

www.mdwfp.com/wildlife-management-info