Three soil checks before you plant
By DigiFarmer insight · 28 Oct 2026 · 1 min read
Acidity, nutrients and field history decide what a seed can do. Check all three before you buy inputs.
Good seed and fertiliser only pay back when the soil can use them. Before the next planting, check three things.
1. Acidity (pH)
Most crops grow best when the soil is only slightly acidic. In very acidic soil, plants cannot take up the fertiliser you apply, so the money is lost. A soil test tells you the pH and whether lime is needed.
2. Nutrients
Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are the main nutrients. A test shows which one is short, so you buy the fertiliser your field needs instead of a general mix.
3. Field history
Write down what you grew in each field in the last seasons, and how it yielded. Growing the same crop again and again tires the soil and builds up pests. Rotate cereals with beans or other legumes where you can.
How DigiFarmer helps
A DigiFarmer field agent can test your soil on the farm with a portable device, or collect a sample for the laboratory. The results and the advice are saved to your farm record in the DigiFarmer app.
Source and licence: DigiFarmer team · DigiFarmer insight