Franta Majs is a common fixture at Florida plant shows and sales. He doesn’t attend to shop, however. He’s on hand to offer advice.
“Frequently I’ll see people pulling a wagon with hundreds of dollars’ worth of plants or trees,” Majs said. “And I’ll ask them, ‘Do you have a spot for this plant? How is the soil? Is it well drained? What’s the pH?’ They don’t even think about it.”
Majs considers it part of his job to provoke such contemplation. As a soil scientist, he encourages Florida farmers and gardeners to identify and understand their growing conditions before planting. As the new director of the UF/IFAS Analytical Services (ANSERV) Labs, he hopes they turn to his facility for guidance.
Located on UF’s Gainesville campus, the ANSERV Labs have analyzed soil, water, livestock waste and plant tissues for researchers, students and members of the public for about 60 years. In recent months, however, lab management has doubled the amount of equipment on site and ramped up employee hiring to better serve Floridians.
“Our ability to process a larger volume of samples and to do so with increased sensitivity and accuracy has vastly increased,” Majs said.
Florida’s tropical and subtropical climates make the Sunshine State an ideal home for hundreds of crops and ornamental plants, but its soil often lacks key nutrients. Prudent green thumbs can learn about their soil’s composition – including its acidity, lime requirements, macronutrients and micronutrients – through ANSERV Labs analysis. Tests range in price from $3 to $20, depending on what is measured.
Free soil collection bags are available at UF/IFAS Extension offices, and submission forms are available online. Once filled with a sample representative of the planting site, the labeled paper sacks are mailed to the ANSERV Labs for testing. There, the contents dry in a room set to a toasty 105 degrees Fahrenheit before undergoing scientific analysis by equipment that detects elemental or molecular components.
Test results are emailed or mailed to customers within three to five workdays. In addition to providing a value for each measurement, the enclosed reports include recommendations based on best management practices established through the UF/IFAS Nutrient Management Program. The name and contact information of a knowledgeable local Extension agent are also included for additional clarification and support.
Soil test results ultimately rank a planting site’s suitability for an intended use, guide the addition of amendments and fertilizers to improve it or influence a change in plans.
Majs doesn’t believe in “bad soil,” but he cautions against misguided uses of it.
“Soil is a given; you can only modify it so much through fertilization and irrigation strategies to suit your needs,” he said. “Our tests can help identify the best applications of what already exists, so that the end results are optimal.”
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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