Luster Leaf Products Luster Leaf 1665 Professional Soil Kit with 200 Tests, Green

I purchased this kit because the old one I had yield inaccurate results. I have soil meter also. This kit comes complete with everything to test your soil. IF you follow the directions it works fine and is accurate. The filter pads and the soil composition need to be figured out on order to get a clear water sample. Sometimes it take two pads, the instructions point this out. I read some poor reviews about this kit, the only thing I can say is maybe there was cockpit trouble with the operator. This kit is ok. The solutions just barely have the volume for the advertised number of tests, but they are adequate.

The kit appears to be exactly what I needed so I’m an pleased with the quality. One thing, and it’s really not worth mentioning ( except maybe if others) both clasps for the very nifty and necessary case we’re broken. However, I’m impressed with it so I just threw a hefty rubber band around it. Satisfied so far

Given the deficiencies listed below I was tempted to rate 3 stars but here we have a complete test lab in a kit for only $20 so what do you expect? If half the deficiencies were fixed (mostly related to documentation) it would be an easy 5 stars. Kit has almost everything needed to have your own soil test mini-lab. It comes complete with 2 test tubes, filter device, replacement filters, replacement O-rings (basically rubber gaskets for the filter device since soil is gritty and the O-rings will wear quickly), and a small measuring spoon. This kit and I think most if not all kits work on the principle that: - prepare soil sample (select soil from relevant area of root zone, dry it, pick out the crud, pulverize the sample, don't contaminate it in the process) - use special solution to dissolve relevant nutrient into a solution - filter soil particles out of the solution - develop the solution with a reagent to that either changes color based on amount of target nutrient in the solution or in the case of the K test to precipitate the K (Potassium) out of solution - compare solution against a reference chart. - amend soil based on reference chart results. Starting with previously prepared soil sample it takes me about 35-40 minutes to do all 4 tests (pH, N, P, K) working steadily but not hurrying. I have no way to calibrate my results other than to say that with the exception of the K test the results were consistent with what one would expect of soils in this area. The K test either failed completely each time or my soil is surprisingly deficient in Potassium. The P (Phosphorous) test requires one to do the color compare immediately. The sample starts out with one color and very soon changes to a different color. I think the first color is the correct compare but better directions would be a plus. Kit Deficiencies: - PH scale only goes to 7.5. Much of the West has soils were PH of 7.5 would be considered low. Scale needs to go to 9 or so. - The advertised "40 tests" is probably technically true but misleading. It would be more accurate to say it has enough supplies to do complete pH/N/P/K test on 10 samples. Some tests use more solution than others so perhaps it might not be possible to fully test 10 samples. - Kit assumes you paid attention in chemistry class and learned basic lab process, how to measure and are aware of contamination potential from hands, tap water, etc. Perhaps the tests are not sensitive enough for it to matter hence lack of documentation. - filter device is a narrow tube and the soil solution extract is relatively viscous so solution will not pour out. You could argue it is common sense how to get it out but some basic lab hints would have been a nice addition. - There is a full page of fine print in the directions about how much of which nutrient to add to soil to correct deficiencies. I found about half of it baffling. A consumer-grade test kit should have at least links to a web page with better directions on what to do next. - An FAQ page outlining basics of what to look for when tests seem to fail would be helpful. - There are some givens in soil science such as significantly raising pH is not practical over large areas and is a process that takes years. Again- a few carefully chosen web links would have been nice. - No mention of where to buy replacement solutions, filters, etc. - One of the tests calls for half a measure of a reagent but measuring spoon is for full measure and of a shape that makes it impossible to accurately measure out half a spoon. Spoon is tiny- think 1/20th or less of a teaspoon. Assuming I figure out my soil really is deficient in K instead of the kit being faulty I would buy this kit again. Photos attached- sorry they are not cropped.

I purchased this test to have an easy, all-in-one kit at home so my husband could test soils around the house. Unfortunately, this kit does not work. I used the kit to test my lawn soil and received "odd" results, which led me to do a battery of positive and negative control tests in my lab. Yes, I read the instructions carefully. I am a lab scientist and professor of microbiology. RESULTS: pH test works correctly. To calibrate, I used various pH solutions in my lab and the pH indicator turned the correct color for each solution. This is the only test that worked accurately. That being said, pH testing is not exactly rocket science, and liquid pH indicators usually have a long shelf life. pH-only soil test kits are also WAYYY cheaper than this kit, so I am frustrated that this is the only test in the kit that worked. The Nitrogen test did not work. Positive and negative controls, as well as actual soil samples, showed no variation in color. Red should indicate the presence of Nitrogenous compounds, but I never saw that result. The Phosphorus test always turned blue. Blue indicates a positive result. Positive and negative controls and actual soil samples all turned the same blue color. I am unsure why the test turned blue in the negative control, but that makes me doubt the other results. The Potassium (K) test never became turbid in positive or negative controls or real soil samples. Increased turbidity (cloudiness) indicates Potassium, but this kit never clouded. My second complaint is with the materials and supplies themselves. I could easily mix up some new chemical reagents for each of these tests and fill the bottles with my own solutions for my husband to use. However, the actual test vials and sample filtering procedure are just a pain in the arse. First, the diameter of the tubes is narrow enough that the solution always gets stuck (like ketchup sticks in the glass bottle) until you break the surface tension. You can't just pour anything. You've always gotta stick the end of the spoon in there to break the tension bubble before it flows. Poor design! Secondly, to complete the N, P, and K tests, you must filter the soil sample using a manual filtering tube. They only send one. That means you have to use it, clean it, and refill it three times, and then transfer the extracts into secondary vials for testing. Having to fill-extract-clean-refill-extract-clean-refill-extract-clean takes a ton of time! It would have been wiser to send three filtering tubes so you could run the three tests simultaneously without transferring to secondary vials. Overall, poorly designed and poor-quality (and/or) expired reagents. Avoid this kit!

A detailed review of the 1662 version of the kit. I've started down the path of trying to grow a giant pumpkin. Since most growers indicate that soil conditions are very important, I bought this kit since it would also allow me to test other areas of the yard. I've never tested any of my soils, so it seemed like a good idea. I should add that I have a fairly strong science background and was a middle school teacher for 5 yrs. However, that doesn't make me a chemist *grin* so I'm not saying I'm and 'expert' in this area. Contents: The pictures shows the contents fairly well, but it should be added that the kit includes a very large amount filter discs - more than you could ever use -, as well as two replacement o-rings for the plunger. After doing several tests, the original o-ring was leaking liquid so the extras are a nice inclusion. The amount of reagents looks quite varied in how many tests you can complete. Most seem like you can do 20 or more, but the phosphorus reagent is getting low after perhaps a dozen tests. (My experiments with it may be the reason I am running out early - discussed below) Instructions: Contrary to other reviews, the instructions are clear but do require a careful read through. Their organization could be better however since I have made a few mistakes when testing. The mistakes were my own fault (not paying attention) however, and if you follow them closely you shouldn't have a problem. Techniques: The process for the tests require a dry crumbled soil. Get a soil sample 2-3 inches below the surface, and let it dry completely. Then I sifted it through a fine strainer to remove large particles and organic matter and then crushed the soil until it was a fine powder. Since there was still some fine gravel remaining after the crushing, I brushed them aside to get the finest soil particles. For testing, you add soil to the plunger device, add an extracting reagent, strain the liquid and then add a reaction agent. The exception is the pH test, and I found reading the result difficult without the straining. So I now conduct the test as instructed in the plunger tube, and then strain for the reading. Problems with the readings: The pH and Nitrogen tests are fairly easy to read. The phosphorus test however, seems difficult to interpret. The directions state to read the result immediately after adding the reagent. However, the color continues to change after a period of time and if I read it immediately it shows a zero result. Typically, a color changing reaction should be allowed to reach its final hue and I think leaving the test solution to sit until the color change is complete is the proper method for reading the phosphorus test. I can't say definitively that this is correct however. For the potassium test, the reagent creates a precipitate (cloudy particles) and reading the test seems almost impossible. The technique is to place the tube over a row of boxes with dots and moving from a high density of dots to the lower densities and stopping when you can just see a box through the tube. However, since the dots all have the same opacity, either you see them all, or you see none. Accuracy: I have not had my soil professionally tested, so I can't determine just how accurate the tests are. However, I have attempted to semi-calibrate the phosphorus and potassium tests to help me interpret the the soil results. pH - Once strained, the liquid color is easy to compare to the color chart - values range from 7.5 to 4.5 in .5 increments.. Straining is important however since suspended silts in the solution make interpreting the results very difficult. The instructions say wait for it to settle, but fine silt particles could take days (or longer!) to settle out. Nitrogen- The results color is easy to compare to the color chart. It should be noted that with further reading, a nitrogen test is always considered inaccurate since nitrogen levels can fluctuate in soils quickly. So consider the test to be an 'at this moment'. I still found it helpful. The color chart moves from 'surplus' to 'depleted' and so is basically a 'high - medium - low' test. *** For the phosphorus and potassium tests, I did a test sample by adding monopotassium phosphate to a soil sample. MPK is highly soluble and I basically over fertilized the test samples to just see what a 'very high' sample would look like. Phosphorus - This test is difficult to interpret as instructed. When the reagent is added, the instructions say to take the reading immediately. If you do so, the test will always read a zero result since the chemical reaction has not had time to take place. My MPK test should have been a deep purple (surplus) and it took a couple of minutes to match the color on the chart. My actual soil sample test finally reached a sufficient/adequate level after waiting a similar amount of time. The exact amount of time that produces an 'accurate' reading is unknown, but 'immediate' doesn't seem like a viable reading. The MPK test did start to change color very quickly but reading it immediately would have shown it to be near depleted. Potassium - This test is the least likely to produce any useful information. As mentioned above, it is basically an opacity test and using the chart, seeing 1 dot or 10 dots will be the same since they are the same size and pigment density. (The are all very black.) The MPK test created a very cloudy solution and obscured all of the boxes showing that there was a lot of precipitate in the solution, as would be expected. My own soil test produced very little to no precipitate showing it had no phosphorus (since I can see all the test result boxes). I find it hard to believe the soil has NO potassium in it. Basically this test should be considered a lot of potassium/very little potassium test. I might try to create my own test boxes with a grey scale (black to white) to see if I can make it more discriminating. I did a search online to look for a video review of this kit (none) as well as some reviews of it's results. Most information of meager value discusses the more simple versions of this kit and I don't feel they are comparable since this kit uses different testing methods. I did find a review however that compares a variety of test kits and compares them to a laboratory soil analysis. The article goes into detail on assessing accuracy, variation in results, and test results v.s. lab analysis. It does not however, indicate which RapidTest was used. Based on the level of detail the investigator put into the tests however, I think there is a chance he used this test kit. Saying that, he showed a very high accuracy for the test kit, and knowing the problems with the potassium test, this kit might not have been used. You can find the article here: http://horttech.ashspublications.org/content/17/3/358.full Just in case Amazon reviews don't allow for links, you can find the article by Googling the entire article title: Accuracy Varies for Commercially Available Soil Test Kits Analyzing Nitrate–Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Potassium, and pH If you find the article confusing (likely), looking at table 3 and 4 is easiest and most informative. Final Assessment: I think this kit is a 'fair' value (hence my three stars) since you can get a pH and Nitrogen test fairly accurately. The phosphorus test is more accurate if you deviate from the instructions and let the sample sit for a few minutes until the color change is complete. (My opinion of course.) I would like to do some more tests attempting to determine if the test reads a low value after sitting and might do so and return here with an update. The phosphorus test however is the lowest supply I have left in the kit, but this is partly due to me making some mistakes, as well as testing it a few times to sleuth out how it is best read. The potassium test should be considered completely useless unless a new density/opacity chart is created. It's design is baffling since I immediately questioned how you could have any result other than 'tons or none' before I even started the test. The kit components are more than adequate in quality for the intended use. However, I found it helpful to use a pipette to transfer liquids from the plunger to the reagent test tubes. Including a pipette in the kit would add a lot to the ease of use. I recommend getting some pipettes if you plan on doing many tests with the kits. (Cheap disposable pipettes are easy to order, and you might find uses for them elsewhere. *smile*) Ultimately though, I am disappointed with the kit. As a sciency-guy I was looking forward to using a sub-professional kit. (Attaching 'professional' to the kit title is disingenuous to say the least.) I'm tempted to give it a 2 star rating, but moved it to a 3 since the volume of the kit allows for several tests for pH and nitrogen and has a semi-useful phosphorus test. I feel pretty good about my modifications for reading the test and so I am including it in my assessment. I wouldn't consider this test to be accurate to a fine degree, but it gives you a general sense of how your soil is doing and so does offer some useful information.

Good enough for average backyard gardener. Yes, it's not as accurate as sending in a soil sample. Takes a little getting use to use, but gives you a general idea of what and how much to amend to your garden soil. I have black, hummus rich, loamy garden soil (it's very pretty), but am depleted of nitrogen and potassium. I had amended in spring knowing my soil was likely deficient, but I didn't realize I wasn't amending enough nutrients. My high intensity garden is 350 sq ft in size. The instruction and info sheet included was insightful with how much I should be amending based on test results. Very happy with end results. Will order again when I run out of test solutions in the future.

The tests are very easy to use and provide quick results. I have found that my soil needs more nitrogen but has plenty of phosphorus and potassium. The use is straight forward. I found the instructions quite clear. Some people complain that the pump needs a lot of hand power to extract the liquid for the tests. Well, if you try to turn the tap while holding the pump at 90 degrees to the ground you will have hard time. I struggled myself at first. You need to hold the pump at 45 degree angle (and this is how it is recommended in the instruction). The air will be able to flow freely back and forth and the liquid will be extracted effortlessly. Then all you need is to add another reagent to this extracted liquid and compare the color to the color scheme provided. Very easy.

Buyer beware. I have twelve 8x4 beds, 12 4x4 beds, 2 6x6 beds, and 10 2x2 beds. I grow year round here in Florida and test my soil in between each planting. I normally use the Rapitest Soil Test Kit for Gardens with the little capsules from the exact same company. I wanted to step it up with a lab kit this year. This kit however, the Potash came back clear, negative, on every test I did, 8 different tests. The Nitrogen tests were inconclusive. The phosphorous and PH tests were the only tests that seem to have come back with a degree of accuracy. However, I did a control test with just the text components, no soil, and the results came back blue/sufficient for the phosphorous. How is that even possible? The instructions are easy to follow, and I followed them to the letter. Actually administering the tests is pretty easy. My soils were super dry. Anyone who sat through one science/lab class would attest that these are easy kits to use. However, I suspect the liquid test components are somewhat perishable, heat sensitive, or simply don't work? I don't know but I'm absolutely not happy with this kit. Yesterday I soaked out 1 cup of soil to 5 cups of water from 8 of my beds re-tested everything today with Rapitest capsules... This method has never failed me so ill stick to it. Buy the Rapitest Kit. You just need to wet out the soil samples a day in advance.

It can't be used for 40 tests only 10 max

The instructions state ""You may feel strong resistance while filtering" I did... then heard a crack and the cylinder body has an inch long crack. I managed to complete the N test and the P test, but on the K test, the soil solution was leaking directly into the filtered collection tube. Not sure if a manufacturing defect or just being over butch, when not knowing exactly what to expect. Please advise how I get a replacement filtering device, the website won't open for me, and I'm outside the Amazon return period. The tests themselves are reasonably straight forward and the N and P tests returned valid results.

The item was just as described, Easy to use, repeatable results. Told me what is needed for a good healthy garden. Thanks

Super das es dieses Set mit den verschiedenen Tests gibt. Ich benutze es im Kleingarten um rauszufinden was meinen Pflanzen fehlt, natürlich kann man auch an den Blättern der Pflanzen erkennen wenn Mangelerscheinungen auftreten aber damit das garnicht erst passiert ist es gut wenn man vorher weiß was dem Boden fehlt. Das funktioniert mit dem Set sehr gut, man muss sich nur ein wenig damit befassen, und wenn man es einmal ausprobiert hat dann geht es beim nächsten mal auch leicht von der Hand. Anleitung leider nur in Englisch aber anhand der Bilder und mit g... Übersetzer auch kein Problem. Würde es erneut kaufen. Klare Kaufempfehlung.

Product was faulty: pH bottle had leaked. When screwing the plunger down on the filtering device, the O-ring was displaced from its nested position in the plunger. I replaced the O-ring 3 times, but the same thing happened. I watched several videos on using the soil tester, but was unable to match the resulting nutrient test colours with those in the reading colour charts -- N test repeatedly was green (once milky white), should have been a shade of pink. P test changed from Depleted to Surplus within 20 seconds while waiting for solution to settle. Could never make any sense of the K test results. I emailed Luster Leaf for clarification of instructions and advice but they didn't reply