I don't know how often he does this, but by the time the plant are in the ground, they couldn't be more then 2 months old. I thought he was crazy, then I went home and thought... well maybe... but then after reading your answer I agree that it seems more like a waste of time and probably causes unnecessary stress.

Thanks Robby, that *was* really helpful. And I appreciate you going into the science of it. I'm a geek at heart, I eat this stuff up :-)

I was talking to my friend about growing fruits and veggies from seed. He repots his plants three or four times before transplanting them in them into the ground. He told me it makes the roots grow stronger. Is this sound advise and can you think of any kinds of plants that would benefit from this?

Glade you liked that story. :) -- To answer your question, for flowers in the font I test once a year. In my back yard where i have a rasied garden bed, I check everytime grow something new in that spot. I been using the square foot gardening method and I make my own soil mix. I would guess I've checked the soil from Janurary 2010 till now about 4-5 times already.

I've also had issues with plants needing phosphorous, but mistaking the condition as a nitrogen deficiency and vice versa.

NEED would be approbate and here's why: A few months back I went to Home Depot and bought a plant called, Endless Summer Hydrangeas because it had really nice blue flowers. I didn't do a soil test prior to planting in my front yard, only to later learn that the flowers turn pink in acidic soil. A simple PH test would have told me to amend my soil. So instead of manly blue flowers, I got girly pink ones. :( --- not that there is anything wrong with pink, but for a single guy...

Hi Edith - The Ferry soil test kit does a fair job, considering the lack of options. The trouble with it is the liquified soil has to be matched against a chart, and its easy to second guess the results if your lighting isn't ideal. I've given up on the electronic one, it's pretty much junk. I just got the EasyBloom plant sensor, so I've only tested it in a few places, just getting recommendations and using the site to make a list of seeds I want to buy.

Thank you Robby. That was very helpful. This is the kind of advise I don't see on other forums. They should put your name on the box, "For a limited time, comes with free advise from Robby the horticulturalist." Haha, Good stuff. Thanks again.

I'm sorry you had problems. Thats a real bummer. Since I don't work for this company, I suggest contacting their technical support department. Having worked in IT for over 10 years & being a former Dell PC Technician I've learned a few things: 1) people don't read manuals 2) people never think a program that's designed to block unauthorized software can cause a conflict (go figure) and 3) if it doesn't work on your machine, but works on everyone else's, its still the manufacture's fault. They should have known you were going to buy their product. Those bastards! -- ANyway, best of luck to you. Hope you find a resolution soon. :)

I've recently read about adding mycorrhizae & ectomycorrhizae to the soil. I hear they help the roots absorb more nutrients and fight diseases. I fertilize my plants using worm castings, will this contain these beneficial microorganisms? Or should I look for a fertilizer that specifically mentions these?