New Videos: Taking Soil and Foliar Samples in Orchards and Vineyards

Author: Annie Klodd, Extension Educator-Fruit and Vegetable Production

We just released two new videos for fruit growers, on soil and foliar sampling. Check them out, either by clicking these links or watching below:

• Taking a Soil Sample: Vineyards and Orchards
• Taking a Foliar Sample: Vineyards and Orchards 

Submitting a soil sample is necessary in order to know the nutrient status of the soil. Without soil test results, we don't really know what rates of fertilizer to apply, or whether the soil pH needs amending, in order to support healthy crop growth.

Fall is an ideal time to take a soil sample for your orchard, vineyard, or crop field. It allows us to get the soil test report back in plenty of time to formulate a nutrient management plan for the spring. Go out and do this before the ground freezes!

Taking a Soil Sample: Vineyards and Orchards

For perennial fruit crops, such as orchards and vineyards, there is an extra step we must take in addition to the soil test: a foliar nutrient test. 

Foliar tests are important, because they tell us not only what nutrient levels are in the soil, but how much is actually being taken up by the plant. October is too late in the season to take a foliar test, but watch the video in order to know how to do this before the spring comes along. 

Taking a Foliar Sample: Vineyards and Orchards