Soils Testing & Technical Services
Announcement (1/10/2022): Due to a backlog of samples, soils testing services are currently suspended. If you have already placed an order, we will test your sample as soon as we can, or you can reach out to us directly through our contact form. Please check back soon for an update. We apologize for the inconvenience.
New Guidelines & Schedule
At long last, USI has resumed soil testing, however we are functioning at limited capacity. While we wait the re-opening of our laboratory space at Floyd Bennett Field, we are offering soil testing services once a month under our new soil testing guidelines.
Please send your soil samples to Urban Soils Institute, P.O. Box 10270, Westbury, NY 11590
We will conduct all soil testing once per month at our seasonal Governors Island location during Soil Testing Day.
A. If you would like any of the testing packages below, you must mail in your sample. Payment can be made either via check, or PayPal (see below for payment instructions).
B. If you want only XRF Heavy Metals Screening, you can bring your sample on Soil Testing Day (next one is on May 15 from 12 noon - 4 pm at the Swale House on Governors Island, future dates TBA) and get your soil tested for free.
Once your mailed soil samples are tested, expect to receive your results within two weeks of the monthly Soil Testing Day. If you brought a sample on Soil Testing Day, you will receive your XRF Heavy Metals screening results on the spot.
Please check back for future testing dates. We deeply apologize for this inconvenience. We fully understand that this soil testing schedule is not ideal. Due to circumstances outside of our control and regulations regarding laboratory activity, this is the only method we have to test soil in the short term. We will update this page once we have more information with regard to laboratory access.
Next Soil Testing Day:
September 18,2021 | 12 noon to 4 pm | @ GrowNYC Urban Farm on Governors Island
Soils Testing
USI staff are distinguished in their ability to test and interpret urban soils. We provide on-site and remote laboratory testing services and we regularly advise on remediation strategies of all sizes. We welcome your questions about soil and your requests for testing soils with unknown histories and complex futures. Our clients include New York City Parks, the Office of the Mayor, non-profit agencies, private sector industries, city residents, professional horticulturalists, gardeners, urban farmers, and researchers.
This package includes the three important tests for determining the potential risk of soil heavy metals — XRF, pH and soil texture. Heavy metal mobility is partially dependent on soil pH, with lower soil pH generally resulting in higher plant heavy metal uptake. Soil texture can also play an important role, with a higher proportion of clay materials influencing the behavior of heavy metals within the soil. The Plus Package not only identifies heavy metal contamination, but also gives you a better idea of how your plants will respond to it. Each sample comes with a report with a professional interpretation of the results.
This package includes the two essential tests for determining the potential risk of soil heavy metals — XRF and pH. Heavy metal mobility is partially dependent on soil pH, with lower soil pH generally resulting in higher plant heavy metal uptake. We have discontinued our regular Soil Heavy Metals test, which only included XRF Screening, because we believe that soil heavy metal content alone is not appropriate to determine heavy metal exposure risk. The package not only identifies heavy metal contamination via XRF, but also gives you a better idea of how your plants will respond to it through pH testing. Each sample comes with a report with a professional interpretation of the results.
Directions For Preparing and Mailing Soil Samples
Submission Form: DOWNLOAD PDF
Pre-Filled Sample Form: DOWNLOAD PDF
Step 1
Observe your area and determine what soil you want tested and why. This will help you decide where to take samples, at what depths, and how many separate samples to submit. An area of interest is determined by you. Perhaps it’s your community garden bed or a part of your yard you want to convert to a vegetable patch, but you are concerned about potential contamination. You may be interested in the difference in soil health at different depths—the surface layer (0-3”) versus the root layer (3-8”). Or you want to submit a sample of soil of unknown origin that was delivered or purchased.
Step 2
Choose a sampling depth.
For vegetable growing: Please take samples from the surface to the root zone — the top 0-8” of soil.
When testing for surface contamination: Collect samples from the top 0-3 inches of soil, where individuals (plants and animals included) are most likely to receive exposure.
Step 3
Use a spade or trowel to take small samples of soil from 3-10 random, evenly-distributed spots in each area of interest. (If you have more than one area of interest, you will have more than one sample to submit). Put all soil in a clean container. Thoroughly mix up the soil in the container. Remove pebbles, leaves and plant roots. Transfer at least one cup of the soil mixture (~0.5 lb or about 1 sandwich-bag full) to a bag and seal. Don’t overfill the bag. (If samples are overly wet, air dry them at room temperature before putting them in the plastic bag. Do not dry samples on a stove or radiator as heat can affect the readings.)
Step 4
Using a permanent marker or pen, label each sample with an ID that helps you remember the location of the soil sample. This ID should match the ID on the submission form. Please consider thoroughly taping the sample ID note to the outside of the bag - notes placed inside the bag sometimes get broken down by the soil and moisture. It is critical for us to be able to deliver accurate results to you. The label on your bag must match the label on your submission form. If a sample is not clearly labeled, we will contact you via email to ask for additional information to help us identify each sample, or ask you to resubmit a soil sample.
Step 5
Please print and fill out a submission form with the information requested for each sample and place them inside the package with your soil samples. The submission form can be downloaded here. We also have a pre-filled sample submission that you can access here.. If you have any errors in your submission form that prevents us from properly testing the sample, we will contact you at the email address you provided. If making payment via PayPal, indicate your transaction ID on the submission form. When making payment by check, include your check in the package along with the soil samples. Please address the check to: NYC Soil & Water Conservation District
Step 6
Send your samples to Urban Soils Institute, P.O. Box 10270, Westbury, NY 11590. Please review our new Soil Testing Guidelines & Schedule at the top of this page for more information on when you should expect to receive your soil report.
Thank you for making USI your soil testing resource!
