DIY Sample Kit Instructions

Supplied in your Soil Sampling Pack

  1. A 150mm soil probe
  2. Brookside Laboratories brown paper soil sample bags
  3. Rubber band
  4. Plastic Bag for completed Brookside submission form
  5. The return to Ecofarm Aotearoa office Courier label [supplied]

 You will need a clean bucket. Wash with water only.

 Keep the original box this all came in – you will need it to return the probe and samples.

Collecting Soil Samples

Collect 2 or 3 x 150mm deep core samples from each paddock, avoiding the areas indicated in the diagram. You will need at least 10 samples over the whole testing area. Place the cores in the bucket as they are collected. Remove any excess vegetation and foreign bodies. Thoroughly mix all cores together and place about 300 grams (¾ full) into the Brookside sample bag. Fold the top over and seal closed, using the rubber band. Fill out the form and place in plastic bag. Seal.

Sending the sample to Ecofarm Aotearoa

  1. Reusing the original box, wash the probe and place it in the box with the sealed and labelled Brookside Laboratories bag with your samples in it, the completed Soil Analysis Request Form & the instruction card. Seal the box.
  2. Remove the original address label from the outside of the courier box. 
  3. Place the supplied courier label on the box (for returning to Ecofarm Aotearoa 1 Railway St Paeroa 3600). There must be NO confusion as to where this is being posted to, hence the removal of the original posting label.
  4. Post from any post shop. 
  5. Email the office (office@efa.nz) advising us of the date that you have sent the samples.

Technical Notes

  1. If a core of soil gets stuck in the probe use a stick [nothing metal] to poke it out.
  2. We measure trace elements in Parts Per Million (PPM), so beware of contamination!
  3. Do not collect samples when soil conditions are extremely wet or extremely dry.
  4. Avoid urine or manure patches.

Soil test results generally arrive back at the office 14- 20 days after the samples are dispatched from Paeroa to America. Brookside Laboratories are based in New Bremen, Ohio, USA.

We will contact you with the sample results and suggest a way forward so that your land becomes more productive, a home for healthy animals and a source of healthy produce.

Thanks for working with us!
The Team at Ecofarm

Order your DIY Soil Sample Kit HERE

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