Put your soil to the test
Published:
HAVE you ever wondered why, no matter how much you water, fertilise or weed your garden, your favourite plants just don’t grow?
Even if you follow all of the instructions, there is no guarantee that you will be able to achieve your ambition of a dream garden – unless you know what’s in your soil.
BBC Scotland’s Beechgrove Garden will be giving an insight into the little-known world of soil when it visits the Macaulay Institute in an episode aired at 7.30pm tomorrow.
Jim McColl, presenter of Scotland’s favourite gardening programme, sampled some soil from the three-acre Beechgrove Garden in Aberdeenshire and sent it off to the Macaulay Institute for thorough analysis. In this episode, Jim visits the institute to get the results and learn more from the experts.
“If you want to get the most from your garden, it’s important to know what type of soil you have and how to improve it,” said the Macaulay’s soil specialist, Dr Jason Owen.
“It is essential to understand how certain improvements, such as adding fertiliser, can have knock-on effects, such as changing the soil’s acidity.”
The Macaulay doesn’t just test soil for TV presenters. The institute’s world-famous laboratories can also test soil for gardeners all over the country. All they have to do is request a test kit from the institute which includes a container to return their soil by freepost.
The soil sample is then taken through a number of comprehensive tests. These include analysis for pH levels, nutrients, organic matter and nitrate. The high-quality soil data is then sent back to the customer by post or e-mail within three to 10 working days.
In another episode later in the series, Jim McColl will be giving simple advice on how to improve the quality of your soil once you have the results back from the Macaulay Institute.
The Beechgrove Garden is aired on BBC1 Scotland at 7.30pm every Wednesday, from April until September.
If you are interested in finding the substance in your soil, visit www.MacaulaySoils.com or call 01224 498200 to order a Macaulay soil testing kit.
