Home Lawn and Garden Soil Test Mailer from MSU Extension
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EmailJanuary 23, 2025
This brief video will show you how to use the Home Lawn and Garden Soil Test Mailer from MSU Extension. It shows what is contained in the mailer, how to gather a soil sample and how to properly package the soil for shipment in the postage-paid inner envelope. The soil mailer is for general residential "lawn and garden" soil recommendations. For wildlife food plots or commercial/agricultural testing, please visit “Soil testing through MSU Extension.”
You can purchase the Home Lawn and Garden Soil Test Mailer from your local county's MSU Extension office or online from the MSU Extension Bookstore.
Video Transcript
You're watching this video because you've purchased a Michigan State University Extension soil mailer. Before going any further, remove the contents of the mailer outer envelope and ensure that you have the prepaid business envelope, the bag for the sample with label included, and the paper form with carbon copy. Take your soil samples with a trowel and bucket. Digging at least 5" down as well as removing the top layer of plant debris, will greatly improve the accuracy of the test. After you've collected up to ten samples, mix them in the bucket thoroughly. As you prepare the mailer sample, avoid these pitfalls: Filling the sample bag with plant debris, putting the mailer contents back into the outer envelope. Filling the business reply envelope directly with soil. And lastly, you'll want to avoid overfilling the sample bag so that it cannot easily close. A correctly filled sample bag will close easily and allow for the completed label to be inserted into its outer pouch. Take your time reading and completing the form. Retain the yellow carbon copy and put the white copy into the business reply envelope, along with the soil sample bag and included label. Drop the sealed Business reply envelope into your nearest public mailbox, and you're done. Thank you for watching.