Understanding your soil analysis
A practical guide to making sense of your soil test data.
Soil tests only add value when they guide better nutrient management decisions. Too often, growers receive lab reports filled with numbers—but little clarity. Understanding how soil data works is the first step toward improving nutrient efficiency, water management, and long-term soil productivity.
What a Complete Soil Analysis Includes
A complete soil analysis evaluates more than pH and nutrient levels. It tells you what is going on in your soil.
Soil pH, EC, and soluble salts
Macronutrients and micronutrients
Organic matter percentage
Cation Exchange Capacity (CEC)
Exchangeable cations and base saturation
Each value affects how nutrients behave in the soil and how crops access them.
Why Accuracy Matters
Not all soil tests are equal. Lab methods and sampling practices directly affect results.
Fast lab turnaround can inflate nutrient and organic matter values
Instruments measure carbon. Humus and carbon are not the same thing.
CEC and nutrient values are strongly influenced by lab extraction methods
Accurate data starts with representative sampling and reliable testing.
CEC, Soil Texture & Organic Matter
Soil productivity is not determined by one number.
CEC describes how many nutrients a soil can hold.
Soil Texture is the proportions of sand, silt and clay in your soil.
Organic Matter percentage is not the same as humus
Humus feeds microbes and improves nutrient and water retention
Think of CEC as your soil’s nutrient and water “tank” size.
Sandy soils have small tanks and require more frequent, lighter inputs.
Finer-textured soils have larger tanks but require careful management to avoid excesses.
Soil Is Dynamic — and Repairable
Soil chemistry does not function without biology
Nutrients can be present but unavailable
Beneficial microbes drive nutrient release and efficient uptake
Improvements take time, data-tracking and realistic expectations
Why It Matters
With accurate data, growers can:
Adjust irrigation and fertilizer applications to soil texture
Improve nutrient efficiency
Reduce leaching and tie-up
Track soil improvement over time
Without accurate soil data:
Nutrients are misapplied
Irrigation and fertilizer rates and timings are mismatched to soil type
Time and money are wasted
How Can SoilMatters Help?
Discover how SoilMatters can revolutionize your farming approach with tailored, data-driven Nutrient Management solutions designed to reduce costs and boost productivity. Email us directly HERE to set up a phone consultation to discuss your specific needs.
Marc Suderman, an Independent Certified Crop Advisor with over 25 years of experience in the soil and plant nutrition industry, leads SoilMatters Crop Consulting, LLC. We deliver customized Nutrient Management Plans based on soil and plant tissue data.
Here’s to your crops’ success!
