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Lawn Soil pH: When to Lime, When to Add Sulfur
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Mail-In Laboratory Soil Test
MySoil Soil Test Kit — Mail-In Lab Analysis Review
★★★★★ 4.5/5
our editor rating how we score4.6/5 from 3,808 shoppers at Amazon — their number, not ours.
$29–$35
Typical price · One sample; report covers pH plus 13 nutrients with rates for your stated plants
Affiliate links — see our disclosure. Commissions never influence verdicts.
Seven guides on this site tell you to soil test before you buy anything. This is the fastest way to actually do it — and your county extension office may do the same job cheaper.
Our Verdict
The single most useful purchase on this site, because it stops you buying the other things. Almost every fertiliser, lime and iron decision we cover starts with a number you do not have: soil pH and what is actually deficient. A mail-in lab test returns real numbers rather than the colour-change strips that consumer kits use, and the report converts them into application rates. Two honest caveats. First, price: most land-grant extension offices run the same analysis for roughly $10–$20, and the report is written for your state's soils — if you are not in a hurry, check yours before ordering. Second, a test is a snapshot: sample from several spots at root depth, not one scoop by the driveway, or the number describes a square foot instead of a lawn. Retest every three to five years, which is UMN Extension's interval, not annually.
✅ Pros
- Laboratory analysis, not a colour-change strip — real numbers for pH and 13 nutrients
- Report converts results into application rates rather than leaving you to interpret
- Ends the guesswork behind lime, sulfur, iron and phosphorus decisions
- Prepaid mailer; no lab account or paperwork to set up
- One test informs several seasons of decisions
⚠️ Cons
- Your county extension office usually runs the same test for $10–$20 and interprets it for local soils
- A single sample from one spot describes that spot, not the lawn — composite several
- Turnaround is days by post, so it is not an answer for a problem you have today
- Does not diagnose disease, insects or weeds — only soil chemistry
- Retesting yearly is wasted money — UMN Extension's interval is every three to five years
Product type
Mail-In Laboratory Soil Test
Active ingredient
None — a sample vial, prepaid mailer and lab report
Price range
$29–$35
Coverage
One sample; report covers pH plus 13 nutrients with rates for your stated plants
Best for
Getting a real pH and nutrient number before spending on lime, iron or fertiliser
our editor rating
4.5 out of 5
Common questions
Common Questions
How much does MySoil Soil Test Kit — Mail-In Lab Analysis cost?
MySoil Soil Test Kit — Mail-In Lab Analysis typically runs $29–$35, covering One sample; report covers pH plus 13 nutrients with rates for your stated plants.
What is the active ingredient in MySoil Soil Test Kit — Mail-In Lab Analysis?
None — a sample vial, prepaid mailer and lab report.
What is the biggest downside of MySoil Soil Test Kit — Mail-In Lab Analysis?
Your county extension office usually runs the same test for $10–$20 and interprets it for local soils
Real feedback
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