Are soil test kits better than they used to be ?

[Jimmy]

Many of my Veg are not doing as well as I would have though.
I have tried leaf beet and thought it would be very leafy and rampant. But it's not very good at all. Other veg are similar.

I think I might invest in a soil test kit.
Are they any better than they used to be ?

The ones I used (many years ago) were little test tubes of chemicals you added your soil to. There were charts to compare the colour of the resultant tube. But most of my tubes just looked like mud and matching to the chart was a bit iffy.

Are they any better ?
Recommendations please.
Thanks
Jimmy

[ESBkevin]

I'm no expert but the soil pH is the first critical factor in allowing the plants to get the nutrients that are most probably already in the soil. you can get a probe tester for pH as well as the test tube type.

Once you have established that the pH balance is suitable you can look to what else (if anything) might be wrong. Things that can alter the acidity are lime, wood ash, pine needle mulch, etc. If your soil is otherwise ok then lots of compost/mulch and a bit of rotted manure will usually sort out most of the rest. Leaf mould is about the best thing for restoring the trace elements if you suspect them being lacking.

[Jimmy]

Hmm, my leaf beet are growing on a bed that had a bonfire on in November ?
Jimmy

[Jimmy]

Can anyone recommend a kit that does the 4 tests ?
Thanks
Jimmy

[Alison]

I find that looking at the plants is more worthwhile than the kits. Eg if things are not growing right, pale leaves, stunted growth or alternatively loads of top and no bottom. The plants have a way of letting you know and if they're not growing right then they usually have either not enough or too much of something (easier to sort if it's food or water but difficult if they're outside and it's temp or light!)

[Penellype]

I bought one of those probe things for pH a few years ago. Followed the instructions and stuck it in the soil. Came out at pH 2. That's about the same as concentrated hydrochloric acid and would have burnt my hands, let alone the plants! My faith in these things is therefore limited.

[Jimmy]

Splashed out £8.45 on a nice looking soil test kit For pH, N, P & K- 50 tests.
And as I remembered from years ago, initial impression is not good.
The N, P & K tests all looked very clear and not coloured like on the comparison charts,
The pH tests created a nice distinct colour, but unfortunately it was not on the chart !

So splashed out even more and got a £0.99 book of litmus paper tests off eBay, will see how they do for the pH test.
Jimmy