Where can I get a soil test in Iowa?

Iowa's public soil testing is run through Iowa State University Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory. Many county extension offices (listed on this page) stock the sample forms and can help you submit. National mail-in labs like Logan Labs, Ward Laboratories, and Waypoint Analytical are established alternatives.

How much does a soil test cost in Iowa?

Fees vary by lab and by which package you choose (basic pH plus phosphorus and potassium, versus expanded panels with organic matter and micronutrients). Check Iowa State University Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory for current pricing before you send a sample; the page linked here is the authority for its own fees.

How do I turn my Iowa soil test into a fertilizer plan?

Enter your report values in the Lawn Dominator app and pick your lab so units and extraction method are handled correctly, and it compares your numbers against turf sufficiency targets and helps build the fertilizer plan for your grass type.

Iowa · university & extension labs

Where to get a soil test in Iowa

A soil test is how you stop guessing at fertilizer and fix the one thing your lawn actually needs. In Iowa, the public program below tests homeowner samples and interprets the results for local soils.

Iowa state lab

Iowa State University Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory

ISU soil and plant analysis lab.

Visit the lab & sampling instructions

County offices

County extension offices.

County extension offices across Iowa stock sample forms and can help you read your results. Whether an office will forward your sample to the state lab varies from county to county, so call yours before you drive over; otherwise mail it in with the form. 100 of the most populous counties are listed below.

Not your county? Find your local office in the full Iowa directory.

The steps

How it works.

Get a form and sample the way your lab says to
Pick up a form at a county office or download it from Iowa State University Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory. Where you pull cores and how you mix them decides whether the report means anything, so follow the lab's instructions exactly.
Send it in
Mail your sample to the lab with its completed form, or call your county office first to ask whether it will forward samples.
Turn the report into a plan
When results come back, the numbers only matter if they change what you put down. Enter them in the app and it builds the plan.

The app · soil report analyzer

Got your Iowa report back? Analyze it.

Enter your report values in the Lawn Dominator app and pick your lab, and it handles the messy part: units and extraction methods differ by lab, so your numbers get compared against turf targets that match how your lab measured them. Then it helps build the fertilizer plan for your grass type and checks timing against your live soil temperature.

Download for iPhone

Get it on Android

Free to download on iPhone and Android.

Common questions

Before you ask.

Where can I get a soil test in Iowa?: Iowa's public soil testing is run through Iowa State University Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory. Many county extension offices (listed on this page) stock the sample forms and can help you submit. National mail-in labs like Logan Labs, Ward Laboratories, and Waypoint Analytical are established alternatives.
How much does a soil test cost in Iowa?: Fees vary by lab and by which package you choose (basic pH plus phosphorus and potassium, versus expanded panels with organic matter and micronutrients). Check Iowa State University Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory for current pricing before you send a sample; the page linked here is the authority for its own fees.
How do I turn my Iowa soil test into a fertilizer plan?: Enter your report values in the Lawn Dominator app and pick your lab so units and extraction method are handled correctly, and it compares your numbers against turf sufficiency targets and helps build the fertilizer plan for your grass type.

Looking for another state? See the national map of soil test labs. Iowa State University Soil and Plant Analysis Laboratory is the authority for its own test menu, sampling instructions, fees, and result interpretation.