Mowers Soil Testing Plus, Inc. -- Lab Services -- How We Test

Mowers Instrumentation -- The primary elements for fertility testing (P, K, Ca, Mg, Micronutrients) are run on inductively coupled argon plasma spectrophotometers (ICAPs), Atomic Absorbtion, and/or colorimetric methods.

The soil pH is tested by adding water to a 10-gram scoop of soil, allowing the sample to equilibrate, and then measuring using standard pH probes. In our case, we have a 6-probe set-up to test 6 samples at once.

Each analyst is responsible for maintaining quality assurance. The lab supervisors and managers monitor operations constantly. The lab supervisory staff has over 45 years of lab experience.

Mowers Quality Assurance and Quality Control (QA/QC) -- In order to maintain quality and precision in the laboratory, Mowers has several procedures in place.

All tests are run according to the NCR-13 manual. Additionally, each quarter, the North American Proficiency Testing (NAPT) and the Illinois Soil Testing Association group send multiple unknown samples to us for testing. We send the results back to them and a report is returned comparing us against all of the participating labs. IA, MN, IN, MO use this data for unofficial certification. We have participated in these programs since their inception and will continue to participate.

Every day, standard soils and chemical standards are used to double-check the accuracy of our testing equipment.

We understand that each job in the lab, no matter how small, has an effect on the quality and precision of results, therefore no detail goes uncovered.

How We Test

Mowers Procedures -- Procedures for soil testing are outlined in the NCR-13 manual, a manual developed by 13 midwestern universities. Accepted and/or recommended procedures are given for each element, including mixing, standards to be used, equipment and alternatives if any. The size of sample and extraction time are specifically given. For each test, data is collected and reports and recommendations are generated for field crops, lawns, gardens, and other horticultural crops based on university guidelines.