page90
90
3. Basic Soil Monitoring and Evaluation
Water
It is important to sample your irrigation
water. When irrigating with either surface
or groundwater, you are often adding
minerals. Both water and the minerals it
contains interact with soils in ways that can
change their physical properties. Something
to consider when testing water is how
its contents might change as the season
progresses. Much of the water available in
New Mexico and Colorado is fed by snow
melt which contains different concentrations
of minerals as the season progresses from
spring to fall.
Amendments
Organic matter is usually added to soil in the
form of compost or manure. If you have had
a soil test done and are adding organic matter
to address a specific nutrient deficiency you
will need to know the nutrient profile of the
organic matter to determine how much to
add to address any plant nutrient deficiencies.
The seller from which you purchase compost
should make a nutrient profile analysis
available to you. If you are producing compost
or manure on your ranch or farm, you will
want to get it analyzed before applying it
to your soil. Considerations for sampling
amendments to send to the lab are similar to
those for soil.
Plants
You may want to send plants to a lab to get
a chemical analysis to determine nutrient
content or to evaluate a crop for disease. Just
as there are particular considerations for soil
sampling, there are considerations for plant
sampling as well.
Photos
Taking photos can be extremely helpful
to understanding what has changed
aboveground. As we’ve mentioned
before, aboveground conditions reflect
belowground processes, so keeping track
of what the ground and vegetation looks
like is a good starting point. Photos are
also a great way to share with others.
As we know, depending on the photo
angle, season, time of day, weather
conditions, and other factors, the same
area can look completely different from
one time to the next, so as with all other
aspects of monitoring and evaluation,
mindful intention and consistency are
critical.
What to Sample in Addition to Soil