Time to Take Some Soil Samples

It is time to take some soil samples again to see how the vineyard is doing. Based on the pattern of survival of our plants, we mapped out various regions of the vineyard that we want to sample. We believe that the front of the vineyard is different from the other areas and we are hoping that the soil tests will show us what is happening. We also believe that the east side of our vineyard, where the Chardonnay has been planted is very different from the rest of the vineyard. We had indications last year when we took our soil samples that the pH on the east side of the vineyard was a bit acidic. We decided to sample the vineyard based on the following diagram:

There are certain rules that must be followed when taking a soil sample:¹

• Collect a number of cores or slices by walking in a zig-zag pattern over the area
• Collect 10 cores as the minimum for an area 10,000 square feet in size
• Sampling depth should be 4 to 6 inches deep
• Make sure that all the cores are thoroughly mixed together
• Fill plastic bag about 1/2 full (approximately 1 cup) with the mixed sample
• Submit for testing

Fortunately, we had Mary's help yesterday and armed with a soil probe, Mary took the soil samples, while I was the scribe. Mary took 10 core samples from each defined area. It took us approximately 3 hours to sample the entire vineyard. Thank you, Mary, for volunteering above and beyond the call of duty!
Now to send the samples off to be tested and wait for the results.
Reference:
1. University of Vermont, How to Take a Soil Sample.