What do my results mean? (Auburn University powered by SoilKit)

If you sent in your soil sample using the Auburn Universty Soil Test Kit, your soil report will include recommendations specially tailored to Alabama soils based on Auburn University science.

Auburn University reports Critical Levels of essential nutrients Potassium (K), Phosphorus (P), Magnesium (Mg), and Calcium (Ca) based on your soil texture type (sandy, loam, or clay, determined by CEC) and what plant you're growing (e.g. grass species, fruit trees, or vegetable garden). The Critical Level is the optimal target test result for that nutrient in your soil, e.g. 50 lb/A of Phosphorus or 160 lbs/A of Potassium.

If one of your nutrient test results is above the Critical Level (High or Very High), no amendment is required for that nutrient, because your soil already has what your plants need. If your soil test result is below the Critical Level (Medium, Low, or Very Low), fertilizer is needed, and you'll see an amendment recommendation for any low nutrients in the Treatment Recommendation tab in your SoilKit report. These recommendations are based on Auburn science and are specific to your test results and the grass/plant/tree species you're growing.

Click here or download the attached PDF (84 pages) to see Auburn's full nutrient recommendation tables for all Alabama crops, turfgrasses, shrubs, trees, vegetables, and more (Critical Levels of soil nutrients reported on page 6). Please note the units--the document from Auburn lists values in lbs per acre, while the SoilKit report defaults to lbs per 1,000 sq ft (you can toggle the display units as desired). Or you can just check the Recommendations tab on your SK365 dashboard--since SoilKit sorts through all the data so you don't have to!