Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
Homemade Soil Test Probe
Homemade Soil Test Probe. Soil probes will help you to check the moisture level of your soil when irrigating plants. Not only will these devices keep you from overwatering or drying out your plants, but homemade probes also allow you to collect a soil sample you can take to your local county extension office for testing. This is valuable for...
Soil probes will help you to check the moisture level of your soil when irrigating plants. Not only will these devices keep you from overwatering or drying out your plants, but homemade probes also allow you to collect a soil sample you can take to your local county extension office for testing. This is valuable for finding out your soil pH, or level of acidity and basicity, which affects how your plants grow, according to the University of Missouri.
Things You'll Need
Tube cutter
Grinding wheel
Round metal file
Steel pipe/bar
Find a hollow steel golf club shaft to use as your soil probe. Make sure the shaft is a little more than 3/8 inch in diameter and about 4 feet long. A long rod will make the probe easier to use. Cut the head of the golf club off using a tube cutter and throw it away. Make the cut 3 inches to 6 inches from the club's head.
Make a notch in the end of the steel bar, where the golf club head used to be, using a grinding wheel. Start grinding between 1/4 inch and 3/8 inch from the end of the rod, making sure this initial cut is parallel with the rod's end cut.
Grind so that the cut goes down to half the diameter of the rod, and continue grinding toward the golf club's grip area so that you have created a 3-inch slot. Taper back the end of the 3-inch slot that is closest to the grip area so it takes up the full rod diameter.
Clean out the 3-inch slot and the rod's end cut using a round metal file. Brush off any metal shavings.
Test your homemade soil probe. Push the rod's end cut down into the ground so it penetrates the soil. When you pull the probe out of the ground, you will have a soil plug -- or sample of soil -- in the 3-inch slot. Tap the soil probe and release the soil sample from the notch to use for moisture and pH testing.
Tips & Warnings
You also can use a steel pipe or a steel bar to make your homemade soil probe. In this case, you should take the steel rod to a welder so she can create a heavy-duty T-shaped metal handle to go atop your bar, which will make using the probe more comfortable.
