We love this time of year at Midwest Laboratories. The warm weather and longer periods of daylight give people ample time to get out in their lawn and garden to get work done. Whether you are more concerned about lawn maintenance, optimizing your garden beds or figuring out the best mix of flowers for your containers Midwest Laboratories can help you with a few of our tried-and-true (and scientifically backed) gardening tips.
Find out what your soil needs
Test your soil in those flower beds and gardens! Blindly fertilizing and planting can cause issues down the road. Taking a soil sample can provide a wealth of information. For example, when the results come back and you find that your soil is high in phosphorus, you will know to avoid fertilizers that contain phosphorus. To eliminate any sort of uncertainty; Midwest Laboratories offers a vast array of testing options. Midwest Labs offers a comprehensive Garden Soil Testing Package and Lawn Soil Testing Package.
These tests give a foundation of information that can be useful in dictating which nutrients are available and at what levels of availability including: Organic Matter, Nitrate-N, Phosphorus, Potassium, pH, Magnesium, Calcium, Sodium, Soluble Salts, CaCO3 Buffer Index, Cation Exchange Capacity. A Heavy Metal Screen may also be recommended if there are concerns that heavy metals may be present, such as Arsenic, Lead, Cadmium and Chromium. We have dedicated Field Staff to answer all questions that you may have from how to collect a sample, how to submit the sample, and how to interpret the results once you receive the analysis results back from the lab. This work can help set you up for a successful season year after year!
Make informed fertilizer decisions
Empowered with the information of what your soil needs to become more balanced and healthier- it’s time to tackle fertilizing decisions. For this you will want to take into consideration your goals for your garden; there are many fertilizer options that can accommodate a myriad of goals. Organic and commercial fertilizers are available for most soil and plant nutrient needs. Consulting with an expert is recommended to make sure proper selection of products and fertilization techniques are followed.
Containers count too!
Container gardening is a wonderful medium of garden expression. Containers can be a way for you to grow seasonal or temperamental plants and flowers. They can also be a great way to experiment with various colors and textures as accents in your garden. Midwest Laboratories also offers testing for container mixes called Growth Media. In that analysis, Extract Water Soluble. pH, Soluble Salts, Nitrate, Phosphorus, Potassium, Manganese, Magnesium, Sodium results are given. These tests are a good way to make sure the precious plants you are instilling in your porch pots are going to produce vibrant blooms all season long even well into Autumn potentially.
No matter what your analytical needs are in the garden or lawn, Midwest Laboratories has you covered.
Ready to get started? Email us at contactus@midwestlabs.com or give us a call at (402)334-7770.