Lab Sampling Procedures

Liquid Manure

Solid Manure

Plant/Leaf Tissue 

Tile Water/Streams

Tap Water 

For Liquid manure, take a sample each time the storage is emptied. Manure applied from a storage emptied in spring will be different from the manure applied from the same storage emptied in late summer.

Agitate the storage completely. In a plastic pail collect samples from various depths of the storage, as it is being emptied. Mix 10 to 20 of these samples thoroughly and transfer a portion to a plastic jar.

The jar should only be half full to avoid gas build-up and explosion. Seal it tightly and put it in a plastic bag that is securely tied. Refrigerate or freeze until shipping.

For solid manure, take a sample every time the storage is emptied until a trend becomes evident. Then you can sample every few years or when you make a major change in manure source or in management. These can include changes to ration, bedding or storage methods.

Solid manure is more difficult to sample randomly. On clean cement or plywood, take samples (a forkful) of manure from various loads leaving the pile or from various parts of the pile. Chop the manure with a shovel or fork and mix the samples together as thoroughly as possible.

Divide the manure into 4 portions and discard 3. Continue mixing and dividing the manure until you can fill a plastic jar or shipping container - about half a litre. Place the tightly covered sample in a plastic bag and store in a cool place until shipping.

Chemical Analysis:
If equipment is available take an integrated sample from top to bottom in the middle of stream. If only grab sample collected take it in the middle of stream at mid-depth. Tile water sample to be taken at tile outlet.

Rinse container at least 3 times with water to be sampled - fill container to top - refrigerate sample until delivery to laboratory.

*Do not use bottles intended for microbiological testing for chemical testing.   **Obtain proper bottles for microbiological testing and do not rinse as they contain preservative. 

Collect samples from wells only after flushing lines sufficiently to ensure that the sample is representative of supply.

Take tissue samples from fruit trees between July 15 and 31. Take samples of grape petioles between September 1 and 15. These dates correspond to standard nutrient levels of mature leaves, against which your tissue samples will be compared in the lab. 

Sample each variety and block of fruit trees separately. Collect at least 100 leaves for each sample. The best way to get a representative sample is to take 5 leaves each from 20 trees. Do not combine healthy and unhealthy leaves.

Grape Vines
To sample grape vines, select only the stems (petioles) of mature leaves. Keep varieties and blocks of different ages separate. Ideally, collect stems from a number of different rows in a block. Collect at least 100 stems fro each sample. For Vinifera and French hybrids varieties, collect 150 petioles.

Field Crops
For field crops take samples from at least 50 plants collected randomly from across the field. Use the chart (table 1-1) to find the right time to sample, as you want your samples to be compared to the standard values.