Field guide

Soil-test & lime, in plain language

The terms on your soil report — buffer pH, Mehlich-3, ECCE, CEC — explained for a tired farmer, with a free calculator one click away.

Buffer pH
A second pH reading your lab takes after adding a buffer solution — it estimates the soil'… Mehlich-3
A multi-nutrient soil-test extractant that pulls phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium… ECCE & CCE
The real neutralizing power of a liming material — it tells you how many tons of YOUR lime… Adams-Evans buffer
A lime-requirement buffer built for the low-buffering, sandy Coastal Plain soils of the So… Sikora buffer
A modern, environmentally safer lime-requirement buffer that replaced the toxic SMP buffer… Lime requirement
The amount of ag lime needed to raise your soil to its target pH — driven by reserve acidi… Cation exchange capacity (CEC)
The soil's capacity to hold positively charged nutrients like potassium, calcium and magne… Buildup & maintain
A fertility strategy: below the critical level, apply extra to raise the soil over a few y…