Soil, water and plant testing for horticulture crops
Know what your field needs before you spend on inputs.
Tests and prices
| Test | What it tells you | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Water sampling | Irrigation water quality and suitability | ₹250per sample |
| Soil sampling | Collection and preparation, per acreTravel and accommodation charged separately. | ₹500per sample |
| Leaf sampling | Plant tissue nutrient status | ₹500 |
| Irrigation scheduling | A watering plan from your water data | ₹1,500 |
| Soil test, all parameters | Full nutrient profile, pH and organic carbon | ₹2,000 |
| Compost and manure test | Nutrient content of your organic inputs | ₹2,000per sample |
| Planting material pathogen test | Whether your seed material carries disease | ₹2,000per sample |
| Nutrient scheduling report | A season-long feeding plan | ₹2,500per crop |
| Produce quality analysis | Quality parameters for your harvested crop | On request |
Turn your soil test into a plan: nutrient scheduling, ₹2,500 per crop
How testing works
1. Book the test
Choose the tests you need and pay by UPI. We confirm on WhatsApp the same day.
2. Take the sample
Follow the steps below, or book soil sampling and we collect it from your field.
3. Send it to us
Pack and label the sample with your name, phone and plot, and send it by courier or drop it at our office.
4. Get your report
Results come on WhatsApp with a plain explanation of what they mean for your crop.
Taking a soil sample correctly
- 1.Sample before you apply fertilizer, or at least a month after the last dose.
- 2.Walk the plot in a zigzag and take 10 to 15 small samples. For ginger, turmeric and other seasonal crops, sample the top 15 cm. For arecanut, banana and pepper, sample the root zone at 15 to 30 cm, about a metre from the plant.
- 3.At each spot, scrape away surface litter, dig a V-shaped pit with a spade and cut a thin slice from one side.
- 4.Avoid bunds, channels, manure heaps, compost pits and spots where fertilizer was just applied.
- 5.Mix all the slices in a clean bucket, spread them out, and divide into quarters until about half a kilogram is left.
- 6.Dry it in the shade, pack it in a clean cloth or plastic bag, and label it with your name, phone number and plot.
Turnaround
Reports are ready within 7 working days of the sample reaching us. If anything delays a result, we tell you on WhatsApp the same day.
Questions about testing
For seasonal crops such as ginger and turmeric, before every planting, especially on new land. For perennial crops such as arecanut, banana and pepper, once a year, ideally before the main fertilizer application.
Soil pH, electrical conductivity, organic carbon, the major nutrients nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, secondary nutrients and micronutrients. The report explains each result in plain language.
Rhizome rots in ginger and turmeric often arrive with the seed. Testing before planting tells you whether your seed material carries disease, when it is still cheap to change it.
Yes. Follow the sampling steps on this page. A badly taken sample gives a misleading result, so if you are unsure, book soil sampling and we will collect it.
Why soil testing matters in horticulture
Horticulture crops are heavy feeders and expensive to grow. Ginger and banana in particular take up large amounts of potassium and nitrogen, and arecanut and pepper gardens are fertilized year after year on the same soil. Without a test, fertilizer decisions come from habit, from the input dealer or from a neighbour's field, and the result is usually too much of some nutrients and too little of others.
A soil test replaces that guesswork with numbers from your own plot. It tells you the soil's pH, how much organic carbon it holds, and how much nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and micronutrients are available to the crop. With those numbers, a fertilizer plan can add what is missing and skip what is already there. Many growers find they have been paying for phosphorus their soil did not need.
Reading a soil report
pH
pH decides how available every other nutrient is. Much of Karnataka's Malnad and coastal soil is acidic, and on strongly acidic soil nutrients become locked up and roots struggle. The report tells you whether liming is needed and how much.
Electrical conductivity
EC measures soluble salts. High EC, often from saline irrigation water or heavy fertilizer use, makes it harder for roots to take up water. Banana and ginger are both sensitive to it.
Organic carbon
Organic carbon is the best single indicator of soil health. Low values mean poor structure, poor water holding and weak microbial life, and point towards more compost, green manure and bio inputs.
Major and micronutrients
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are reported as low, medium or high. Micronutrients such as zinc, boron and iron are needed in small amounts, but a shortage of any one of them limits yield regardless of everything else. Boron and zinc shortages are common in many horticulture soils.
Water, leaf and compost tests
Soil is only part of the picture. Irrigation water can add salts or change soil pH over several seasons, so a water test is worth doing for any borewell source. A leaf test shows what the plant has actually absorbed, which is useful when symptoms appear despite good fertilization. Compost and manure tests show the real nutrient value of organic inputs, which varies widely between sources.
Testing planting material
For ginger and turmeric, much disease enters the field with the seed rhizome. Testing planting material for pathogens before planting is the cheapest protection available against a failed season.
How often to test
Test before every planting of seasonal crops, and once a year for perennial crops. Test water once a year, or whenever you change source. Results are most useful when they feed directly into a nutrient schedule, so the next step after a soil test is usually a feeding plan for your crop.
Not sure which test you need? Ask in a single call, ₹250.
Talk to an expert, ₹250