Testing for every part of your system
Why we test first
We assess your site before we test anything. That assessment tells us what needs measuring, where and how much. Then the testing measures that, and most sites don't need every test. Our testing covers far more variables than a standard panel. We use all of it to find the smallest fix that lets the whole system correct itself.
How we choose labs
Most people never see what a lab does behind the scenes, and those procedures can skew results. We know what to look for, and we bring that to every project.
Vetted at our own cost
We vet every lab independently. We run several samples of the same type through a lab before any client sample goes there.
Consistent and open
A lab has to return consistent results on repeat samples and be open about its methods.
The best lab for each test
No single lab is best at everything. Each test goes to the lab that does it best, and our biology runs through a domestic DNA lab.
Fixed once you have a baseline
Once your site has a baseline, the labs and methods stay fixed from year to year, and your retests compare.
A lab is dropped if its results drift on repeat samples, if its recommendations are tied to a product line, or if it doesn't put our clients first.
What we look at
13 categories for every project, all connected. Some we test, some we map and calculate, and some we learn from you. Most use more than one, and we read them all together to find the one thing holding your system back.
How we sample
We decide where samples come from before anything goes to a lab.
Split by what is different
Sample sets follow the real differences on your site: soil types, plantings, uses and areas. Different parts of your site are never averaged together.
The good patch and the bad patch
Where the same plants look different, we sample the thriving spot and the struggling one, side by side.
Where the water goes
Samples follow the gradients that matter: where water comes in, where it pools and where it leaves, plus bare or eroded spots.
Every sample is tagged to its spot on your map, with photos. We match season, recent rain or irrigation, recent applications and sample spots from one round to the next so retests compare.
We look for excesses first
Most of what looks like a deficiency turns out to be an excess blocking it. Deficiencies are often natural. Excesses usually come from years of putting out an all-purpose blend without testing. It builds up, and the excess blocks other nutrients so they look low.
A standard test
Edapho
Scores one number at a time against a fixed target
Scores every element and every DNA sequence against the others
One ideal value for everyone
Optimums set for your site, your plants and your goals
Sees a deficiency and adds more
Finds the excess that is blocking it
Inputs go up every year
Inputs go down as balance returns
An example from pecan orchards
On several orchards, the testing and the lab's recommendation said the trees needed nitrogen. They didn't. They needed calcium and carbon, and the aluminum needed to come down. That was where the problem started.
Tests we leave out
A test is worth running when it gives us what we need to design a fix that works. Some popular tests don't.
16S panels
Too academic. They don't give data we can make a decision on.
Haney and PLFA
We get the same information at a deeper level of detail, which leads to better decisions.
Subjective readings
Readings like soil respiration, unless they come from a live feed.
Free extension soil tests
They often leave out what a project needs, such as biology, the balance between elements and most trace elements.
What you get back
Your results in plain words, on a map of your property, showing the exact spots.
Testing tells you what is there, what is out of balance and what to fix. It can't predict an outcome, like next year's harvest. Results describe the samples taken, at the time they were taken, and time to recovery is an estimate that can change.
A score for every element and every DNA sequence
Optimums set for your site and your goals
The biggest constraint in every area
A recovery path
Good habits to start now
A results call, if you want one
Bring us your worst. We'll bring our best.
Whatever you are facing, it starts with a conversation.