Receiving the Report
When your report is complete, the results will be emailed to the contact information you provided on your Sample Submission Form. If you prefer the results to be mailed rather than emailed, please notify us.
Want to see an example of what the reports look like?
- Western OR BASIC Package Report
- Western OR ADVANCED Package Report
- Eastern OR BASIC Package Report
- Eastern OR ADVANCED Package Report
- BASIC Soil Health Assessment Report
- COMPREHENSIVE Soil Health Assessment Report
- Soil Microbial Assessment Report
- Heavy Metals Assessment Report
- Plant Tissue Analysis Report
- Manure/Compost Analysis Report
Interpreting the Report
Unfortunately, the Soil Health Lab does not have the capacity to help with report interpretation. If you are concerned about needing help interpreting your report, we recommend that you reach out to your local county Extension office prior to submitting samples to ensure you'll have the help you need with interpretation.
We advise customers to utilize the resources provided below. If you have technical questions (i.e. methods, abbreviations, units, data quality, etc.), please reach out to us! There are numerous resources that can help guide you in your soil, plant, or compost/manure results interpretation listed below.
- Review the Soil Test Interpretation Guide from OSU Extension
- Talk to your local county extension office to get in touch with an extension agent.
- Contact a local master gardener.
- Browse the OSU Extension catalog for publications that may help you answer your questions. We've listed resources below by category.
What do I do if the OSU Soil Health Lab does not provide the testing service I need?
If the OSU Soil Health Lab does not provide the testing service that you need, then we strongly suggest reviewing the OSU Extension publication Analytical Laboratories Serving Oregon. This publication gives a great overview of soil, plant, and water testing labs across the state, categorizes their services offered, and provides contact information for each lab.
OSU Extension Resources
- Soil Test Interpretation Guide**
- Nutrient Management for Sustainable Vegetable Cropping Systems in Western Oregon
- Fertilizing Your Garden: Vegetables, Fruits, and Ornamentals
- Nutrient Management for Pastures: Western Oregon and Western Washington
- Monitoring Nutrients in Dryland Systems Using Management Units
- Soil Fertility in Organic Systems: A Guide for Gardeners and Small Acreage Farmers
- Monitoring Soil Nutrients Using a Management Unit Approach
- Evaluating Soil Nutrients and pH by Depth in Situations of Limited or No Tillage in Western Oregon
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Updated Lime Requirement Recommendations for OR (2021)
- Note: The Soil Health Lab uses Sikora buffer pH, not SMP buffer for our lab measurements.
- Living on The Land: Managing Soil pH
- Soil Acidity in Oregon: Understanding and Using Concepts for Crop Production
- Soil Organic Matter as a Soil Health Indicator: Sampling, Testing, and Interpretation
- Living on the Land: Soil Health Principles
- Cornell Assessment for Soil Health Manual- *Not an OSU Extension resource, but a great guide from the Cornell Soil Health Laboratory & Cornell Extension on many of the soil health analyses we offer.
Common FAQs
Unfortunately, the Soil Health Lab does not have the capacity to help with report interpretation. We advise customers to seek out some of the resources provided above. If you have technical questions (i.e. methods, abbreviations, units, data quality, etc.), please reach out to us!
OSU Extension is a bridge between the Oregon State University community of professionals and the public. Experts in areas like crop production, animals/livestock, and gardening provide guidance and resources on these topics to their local community.
We do not provide soil health scoring at this time. Dr. Markus Kleber, the Lab Director, gives a great overview of what soil health scoring is and how it is useful for management in his presentation 'Soil health scoring curves and indicators to make management decisions' for Washington SoilCon.
We are working towards creating a soil health database, but it is not available for public use at this time. Please be aware that we uphold customer privacy when handling results.