Shipping

Get the sample to the lab ASAP

As soon as you remove a core from the soil, the organisms in that core begin to respond to the new conditions. Some individuals die, others wake up. It takes three days, generally, for enough individuals to die, and enough others to wake up to make a measurable difference in what we assess.

For that reason, it is important to get the sample to the lab ASAP. Ship so that the samples do not arrive on a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. (We cannot accept samples on a Saturday or Sunday ö the lab is closed. Samples arriving on a Friday will incur extra charges for overtime labor.)

1. Keep samples cool. Do not freeze, do not allow to sit in the sun, or experience high temperature.
2. We aren't looking at a single species of bacteria, we're summing over all the bacteria in the soil. Thus, as some die and some wake up, the change from what was going on in the soil isn't significant right at first. Beyond three days, there may be no point in assessing activity because it may have changed so much that what we measure has no relationship to what was going on in the soil.
3. Thus, samples need to be sent within 24 hours by overnight, express mail if activity representing what was occurring in the field is desired.
4. If total bacteria, total fungi or mycorrhizal colonization of roots are the only assays being performed, second day mail is acceptable. If you want to do surface mail, the samples must be sent in a cooler with blue ice to keep samples cool, but activities are not likely to be representative of the field.
5. Total biomass is less dynamic than active biomass. Most of the organisms in soil are in a resting condition - things aren't right for them to be awake, so they're taking a nap or they are in the process of dying. Activity is usually around 10 to 15% of the total. If only 10% of the total is changing, the total isn't affected much.
6. As long as the soil is kept cool, nematode and protozoa numbers don't change much, even in a month.
7. Fill out the submission form and include with the samples. Always use the latest forms. It's amazing how many samples arrive with no information about them at all, so please tape the submission form in an envelope to the box with the samples. Also, please include payment with the samples. We have lost only 5 samples out of over 100,000 samples that we've processed. If your samples arrive here, we'll get them done.

Please tell us if a sample comes from a previously sampled area. We receive hundreds of samples a month, and it's not possible for us to know repeat samples unless you tell us. If it is a repeat sample, we'll send the previous sample information with the new sample information so you can follow changes over time.

By comparison to the existing database maintained by Soil Foodweb Inc., we can see if one or more organisms groups is too low, too high, or just right for maximum plant production with fewest inputs. The database is continually enlarged so our understanding of "the best" foodweb for different crops in different situations is continuously fine-tuned. The interpretation sent to you includes this comparison information.