Let our cutting-edge lab analysis explain what's in your soil, so you can grow successfully and safely.
60-day money-back guarantee.
The nutrients your plants pull from — NPK, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, micronutrients — plus pH, the organic matter that drives fertility, nutrient holding (CEC), and the texture that determines how your soil holds water.
The living microbial community inside your soil, read with DNA sequencing: your allies — the microbes and fungi feeding your plants — and your burdens, the pathogens and diseases working against them.
Screening for toxic metals that present health risks for people and pets. The big three — lead, arsenic, cadmium — along with 14 others you don't want to find accumulated in your garden.
Before, only large farming businesses had access to data this rich. Now you do, too.
Individual tests for focused results. Bundles for extra insights, and savings.
Individual tests
Building blocks of thriving soil, including but not limited to key nutrients.
First-time testers, and those who want better than cheap test strips or faster than slow extension-office offerings.
Micro-organisms that boost or burden your soil and plant community.
Gardeners and growers who already know their soil health numbers and want a whole new level of insight.
Toxic metals in the ground, which can impact health of those who touch the soil and plants.
Residents of lots that have old structures, are near busy roads, have an industrial history, or have experienced fire damage.
Bundles
All the dynamics beneath the surface, with insight into which you can optimize for thriving soil and crops.
Ambitious growers and soil-builders who want to understand all the levers they can pull to impact soil and plant outcomes.
Toxic metals' ability to migrate into your plants, vs. stay put, with full analysis of soil fundamentals.
Gardeners who eat what they grow, and craft growers who sell into their communities, who believe their land may have been exposed to toxic metals.
Combining Health, Microbiome and Safety, you get insight into all the microscopic allies, enemies and risks our test suite brings to bear.
Those who want to both optimize growing outcomes and avoid toxic-metal risks.
Ordering for your customers?Partner ordering →
No special equipment needed. From order to report, here's the whole process.
Your prepaid label and sampling guide are ready instantly.
Print everything from your confirmation page or your email. No waiting for a kit to ship — start whenever you're ready.
Dig two cups of soil with a clean trowel or shovel. About 5 minutes.
Use a zip-top bag from your kitchen. The sampling guide walks you through where to dig and what to avoid.
See the full sampling guide →Bag it, tape on the label, drop in any USPS box. Postage is included.
Tracking lets you know when it arrives.
Full report delivered online, with downloadable and printable PDF.
We score and explain all soil attributes and make recommendations on highest-impact actions to take.
If you have questions in response to your report, you have unlimited access to our soil science team for Q&A.
Got questions about how it works? Email us at support@livingsoillab.bio. Prefer to talk? Call (320) 301-9778.
Your soil's component parts scored and explained, with high-impact recommendations highlighted so you know where to focus. For any follow-up questions in response to your report, you get unlimited access to our soil science expertise.
Our lab analyzes soil for farms across the country. Yes, nutrient testing, using the Mehlich-3 method, plus pH and nutrient holding. But also organic matter and soil texture. And DNA analysis of the beneficial and harmful microbes that teem in soil, which is typically out-of-reach for home gardeners.
Now we have opened our lab to your samples — same instruments, same scientists, same commercial-grade insights.
No hobby kits or color-change strips. Your soil is measured on the same instruments and methods professional soil labs use — so your results are real, repeatable, and worth acting on.
The gold-standard method soil labs across the country rely on. A single Mehlich-3 extraction measures phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, and the micronutrients all at once — so your nutrient levels are lab-grade numbers a professional agronomist would recognize, not a vague "low / medium / high."
The same kind of genetic sequencing behind modern microbiome science, pointed at your soil. We read the DNA in your sample to identify the living community inside it — the beneficial microbes and fungi feeding your plants, and the pathogens working against them — and what that community can actually do, like fixing nitrogen or freeing up phosphorus. Almost no consumer soil test looks at biology at all.
A light-based scan that reads your soil's carbon and texture quickly and consistently — the physical makeup that decides how much water and nutrition your soil can hold. It's how we see the structure of your soil, not just what's in it.
For Soil Safety, your soil is digested in acid to release the metals locked inside it, then carried into an argon plasma hot enough to strip electrons from the atoms. A mass spectrometer sorts the resulting ions by weight and counts them element by element — lead is reported down to 1 ppm, against a screening level of 200.
NAPT-accredited soil testing in North Carolina and California, powered by EarthOptics.
Living Soil Lab is part of the EarthOptics family of soil-insights companies.
From our customers
My lawn had always been sad, and the report found specific pathogens in the soil — plus a care plan that's simple and costs less than fertilizer. We were also thinking about adding vegetables to a bed of drought-tolerant natives, but Living Soil Lab showed the drainage and nutrients wouldn't support it. So instead of fighting the soil, we're putting raised beds in a better spot. Exactly the specific, honest guidance I wanted.
The soil report was spot-on! The analysis even figured out that the compost I'm making is from similar inputs (food scraps) — I should include tougher plant materials to better feed the microbial community.
I liked the layout, all the relatable data, explanations, and actionable suggestions for improvement.
When can I sample?
Right after checkout, your prepaid shipping label, your QR code, and the sampling guide will be on your confirmation page and in your email inbox — sample whenever it's convenient. Once the lab receives your sample: Soil Health, Soil Microbiome and the Soil Microbiome + Health bundle within two weeks, Soil Safety within four — so a bundle that includes Soil Safety arrives as two reports. If you ordered a mix, each report arrives on its own schedule.
What do I need at home?
A clean trowel or shovel, a zip-top bag for the sample, and any small box or padded envelope to mail it in. You'll also want access to a printer for the shipping label and QR code.
How much soil do I need to send?
About two cups — roughly a quart-size zip-top bag. The sampling guide on your confirmation page covers what to dig, where, and how.
Can I send potting soil, or soil from pots?
No. Please don't send potting soil, bagged container mix, or soil from free-standing pots and containers. Raised beds are welcome, even if you filled them with bought soil — sample them the same way as any other bed.
Can I test more than one bed or field?
Yes. When you choose a test, set how many areas you're testing. After you pay, you'll name each area (like "Front bed" or "Back field") and print a QR code for each one. Bag each area separately, put the matching QR code in with it, and send them together in one box on one prepaid label.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. 60-day money-back guarantee — if your report isn't useful to you for any reason, email us within 60 days of delivery and we'll refund you in full. Keep the report. No questions asked.
Are there places you can't accept soil from?
We accept samples from the lower 48 States and DC. This includes areas under all USDA pest or disease quarantines with the exception of the few places under soil quarantine for fruit flies. If you believe you might live in an area with fruit fly regulation but are unsure, feel free to ask us at support@livingsoillab.bio.
What if I have follow-up questions after I receive my report?
We'll be happy to answer them! In fact, when we deliver your report, we prompt you to submit your questions on the same webpage where you access your report (you can always email support@livingsoillab.bio if you prefer). For many customers, the report is the beginning of an advisory conversation, not the end of a transaction.
Soil analysis options start at just $35. Backed by our 60-day money-back guarantee.
Not ready to test? The Soil Snapshot is four questions and takes about a minute. We'll email you what's likely going on in your soil and what to do about it — no sample, no charge.
Backed by our 60-day money-back guarantee.
How many areas are you testing?
Test a bed, a lawn, or a patch separately — each area gets its own sample and its own results. They all ship together in one box, on one prepaid label.
We test soil from the lower 48 States and the District of Columbia. By continuing you agree to our Terms of Service. Questions? Email support@livingsoillab.bio.
