Luster Leaf Products Luster Leaf 1665 Professional Soil Kit with 200 Tests, Green

Good enough for average backyard gardener. Yes, it's not as accurate as sending in a soil sample. Takes a little getting use to use, but gives you a general idea of what and how much to amend to your garden soil. I have black, hummus rich, loamy garden soil (it's very pretty), but am depleted of nitrogen and potassium. I had amended in spring knowing my soil was likely deficient, but I didn't realize I wasn't amending enough nutrients. My high intensity garden is 350 sq ft in size. The instruction and info sheet included was insightful with how much I should be amending based on test results. Very happy with end results. Will order again when I run out of test solutions in the future.

Given the deficiencies listed below I was tempted to rate 3 stars but here we have a complete test lab in a kit for only $20 so what do you expect? If half the deficiencies were fixed (mostly related to documentation) it would be an easy 5 stars. Kit has almost everything needed to have your own soil test mini-lab. It comes complete with 2 test tubes, filter device, replacement filters, replacement O-rings (basically rubber gaskets for the filter device since soil is gritty and the O-rings will wear quickly), and a small measuring spoon. This kit and I think most if not all kits work on the principle that: - prepare soil sample (select soil from relevant area of root zone, dry it, pick out the crud, pulverize the sample, don't contaminate it in the process) - use special solution to dissolve relevant nutrient into a solution - filter soil particles out of the solution - develop the solution with a reagent to that either changes color based on amount of target nutrient in the solution or in the case of the K test to precipitate the K (Potassium) out of solution - compare solution against a reference chart. - amend soil based on reference chart results. Starting with previously prepared soil sample it takes me about 35-40 minutes to do all 4 tests (pH, N, P, K) working steadily but not hurrying. I have no way to calibrate my results other than to say that with the exception of the K test the results were consistent with what one would expect of soils in this area. The K test either failed completely each time or my soil is surprisingly deficient in Potassium. The P (Phosphorous) test requires one to do the color compare immediately. The sample starts out with one color and very soon changes to a different color. I think the first color is the correct compare but better directions would be a plus. Kit Deficiencies: - PH scale only goes to 7.5. Much of the West has soils were PH of 7.5 would be considered low. Scale needs to go to 9 or so. - The advertised "40 tests" is probably technically true but misleading. It would be more accurate to say it has enough supplies to do complete pH/N/P/K test on 10 samples. Some tests use more solution than others so perhaps it might not be possible to fully test 10 samples. - Kit assumes you paid attention in chemistry class and learned basic lab process, how to measure and are aware of contamination potential from hands, tap water, etc. Perhaps the tests are not sensitive enough for it to matter hence lack of documentation. - filter device is a narrow tube and the soil solution extract is relatively viscous so solution will not pour out. You could argue it is common sense how to get it out but some basic lab hints would have been a nice addition. - There is a full page of fine print in the directions about how much of which nutrient to add to soil to correct deficiencies. I found about half of it baffling. A consumer-grade test kit should have at least links to a web page with better directions on what to do next. - An FAQ page outlining basics of what to look for when tests seem to fail would be helpful. - There are some givens in soil science such as significantly raising pH is not practical over large areas and is a process that takes years. Again- a few carefully chosen web links would have been nice. - No mention of where to buy replacement solutions, filters, etc. - One of the tests calls for half a measure of a reagent but measuring spoon is for full measure and of a shape that makes it impossible to accurately measure out half a spoon. Spoon is tiny- think 1/20th or less of a teaspoon. Assuming I figure out my soil really is deficient in K instead of the kit being faulty I would buy this kit again. Photos attached- sorry they are not cropped.

I purchased this kit because the old one I had yield inaccurate results. I have soil meter also. This kit comes complete with everything to test your soil. IF you follow the directions it works fine and is accurate. The filter pads and the soil composition need to be figured out on order to get a clear water sample. Sometimes it take two pads, the instructions point this out. I read some poor reviews about this kit, the only thing I can say is maybe there was cockpit trouble with the operator. This kit is ok. The solutions just barely have the volume for the advertised number of tests, but they are adequate.

Having used a water chemistry test kit for many years (no I don't have PhD just a Masters), I see that more or less nothing has changed since I used an ancient kit for my testing 20 years ago. It's ridiculously easy to do the testing, and I am quite sure the solutions are identical to those I used. Since I am not an idiot like Mr. PhD I made up some simple solutions to test the accuracy of the kit. Since the tests give results in mg/l for the nutrients that's ppm so the compounds that are actually measured (e.g. NO3 for nitrogen)can be added to plain water to approximate the concentrations in the tests. Long story short the results were close enough for government work. I didn't find it all that flimsy, although I did crack one of the sample tubes at the top trying to pry the plastic lid off. The results were a bit iffy to interpret but so are the same tests in other test kits. I am guessing that the reviewers either didn't let their samples completely dry, which will effect the results since you would actually be measuring the contents of the groundwater AND the soil, not the soil. Or they didn't pulverize the soil sample into dust, which it definitely should say on the instructions. You can't reliably extract the nutrients from chunks of dirt. I dried mine in the sun for a few hours then smashed them with a plain old spoon before putting them in the test tube. I can't give the kit 4 stars because of this. Also if you are submitting samples to get tested in a lab you have to virtually duplicate the sample. Same hole, same depth, or your results won't exactly match. also as the kit suggests you need to take multiple samples and average the results. I took 8 samples, 1 from each of my beds. These results were fairly consistent as I hadn't fertilized them in a while so the nutrients were back to the base levels found in my soils. I compared the pH and nutrients to levels reported by the local agriculture extension service for my area and soil type and they were consistent. Finally, they claim you can do 80 tests with the kit. Yeah right, that would maybe be the total for all tests in the kit. You'll get more like 15 tests for each nutrient if you don't mess any up. So that's a definitely misleading, unless you know what they mean by 80 tests beforehand (which you can't until you get the actual kit). And for those who complain about getting moire of the solutions, it is plainly stated in the kit that more can be obtained by emailing them. So unless you did and they wouldn't supply them, you are wrong. Overall I don't think you can find a better and more thorough kit for them money. If you're really serious about matching what your results are with what the lab does, find a kit at one of the ag. supply website sand pay a LOT. Tell the truth and give abundantly clear instructions and I will up my rating. Until then buyers need to read this before purchasing. IMHO :)

I purchased this test to have an easy, all-in-one kit at home so my husband could test soils around the house. Unfortunately, this kit does not work. I used the kit to test my lawn soil and received "odd" results, which led me to do a battery of positive and negative control tests in my lab. Yes, I read the instructions carefully. I am a lab scientist and professor of microbiology. RESULTS: pH test works correctly. To calibrate, I used various pH solutions in my lab and the pH indicator turned the correct color for each solution. This is the only test that worked accurately. That being said, pH testing is not exactly rocket science, and liquid pH indicators usually have a long shelf life. pH-only soil test kits are also WAYYY cheaper than this kit, so I am frustrated that this is the only test in the kit that worked. The Nitrogen test did not work. Positive and negative controls, as well as actual soil samples, showed no variation in color. Red should indicate the presence of Nitrogenous compounds, but I never saw that result. The Phosphorus test always turned blue. Blue indicates a positive result. Positive and negative controls and actual soil samples all turned the same blue color. I am unsure why the test turned blue in the negative control, but that makes me doubt the other results. The Potassium (K) test never became turbid in positive or negative controls or real soil samples. Increased turbidity (cloudiness) indicates Potassium, but this kit never clouded. My second complaint is with the materials and supplies themselves. I could easily mix up some new chemical reagents for each of these tests and fill the bottles with my own solutions for my husband to use. However, the actual test vials and sample filtering procedure are just a pain in the arse. First, the diameter of the tubes is narrow enough that the solution always gets stuck (like ketchup sticks in the glass bottle) until you break the surface tension. You can't just pour anything. You've always gotta stick the end of the spoon in there to break the tension bubble before it flows. Poor design! Secondly, to complete the N, P, and K tests, you must filter the soil sample using a manual filtering tube. They only send one. That means you have to use it, clean it, and refill it three times, and then transfer the extracts into secondary vials for testing. Having to fill-extract-clean-refill-extract-clean-refill-extract-clean takes a ton of time! It would have been wiser to send three filtering tubes so you could run the three tests simultaneously without transferring to secondary vials. Overall, poorly designed and poor-quality (and/or) expired reagents. Avoid this kit!

Works well

The tests are very easy to use and provide quick results. I have found that my soil needs more nitrogen but has plenty of phosphorus and potassium. The use is straight forward. I found the instructions quite clear. Some people complain that the pump needs a lot of hand power to extract the liquid for the tests. Well, if you try to turn the tap while holding the pump at 90 degrees to the ground you will have hard time. I struggled myself at first. You need to hold the pump at 45 degree angle (and this is how it is recommended in the instruction). The air will be able to flow freely back and forth and the liquid will be extracted effortlessly. Then all you need is to add another reagent to this extracted liquid and compare the color to the color scheme provided. Very easy.

The testing kit is a bit difficult to use. I found it a tedious process to get the results for each test. For example, I live in southern Texas and the soil is mostly clay. So I have to dry the soil and crush it into small particles. I was always concerned about contamination either from the tools I used to crush the soil into smaller particles and the water I used - so I used distilled water. There is a tool in the kit that is used to extract the water/soil sample for testing. The soil is poured into the tube up to the 1-ml mark (very little soil) and then water is added and then a plunger with a paper filter (new filters must be used for each new test) is used to compress the water and soil solution to extract mostly a clear to semi-clear water/soil solution. This is then poured into a test tube and then different chemicals are added depending on what type of test is being done. Yes, this is not a quick test by any means and easily performed incorrectly in my opinion. I did have success on every test I did. That is, I got a reading. I did two other sections of my lawn and had the same results. Will the kit do 40 tests. No-way. Do I think the results were accurate? I have no idea. Do I think the average person will have success - sure, but it is not a simple test like measuring chemical levels in your pool or hot tube which can be done in seconds. I have sent off a soil sample to a university for testing. I am anxious to see how accurate the test is.

PH test worked somewhat. All other tests resulted in N0, K0 and P0. Followed instructions perfectly. Even tried testing soils extracted from potting mix - still all zeros. Beware, probably many faulty batches. Very Poor experience, and many hours wasted.

It can't be used for 40 tests only 10 max

The item was just as described, Easy to use, repeatable results. Told me what is needed for a good healthy garden. Thanks

Super das es dieses Set mit den verschiedenen Tests gibt. Ich benutze es im Kleingarten um rauszufinden was meinen Pflanzen fehlt, natürlich kann man auch an den Blättern der Pflanzen erkennen wenn Mangelerscheinungen auftreten aber damit das garnicht erst passiert ist es gut wenn man vorher weiß was dem Boden fehlt. Das funktioniert mit dem Set sehr gut, man muss sich nur ein wenig damit befassen, und wenn man es einmal ausprobiert hat dann geht es beim nächsten mal auch leicht von der Hand. Anleitung leider nur in Englisch aber anhand der Bilder und mit g... Übersetzer auch kein Problem. Würde es erneut kaufen. Klare Kaufempfehlung.

I cannot use this kit. I have tried and failed. The filter comes off, the solutions sit, without changing colour. Not sure what i am doing wrong.