Logan Labs
Tests, costs and how we use their reports.
Laboratory profile · Checked October 12, 2026.
About Logan Labs
Logan Labs is a testing laboratory in Lakeview, Ohio. It tests soil, irrigation water and plant tissue.
The lab offers standard soil analysis, saturated paste analysis and combined packages. It also publishes sample reports, testing methods, collection instructions and calculation guides.
Why we use Logan
Why Scott and Sara use Logan Labs
Scott and Sara Skamnes at Crescive Soil use Logan Labs for their mineral recommendation work. Their published FAQ says that Mehlich III results can differ between laboratories and that Logan provides the data they find accurate and useful for their own approach. Crescive currently bases its mineral recommendations on Logan reports.
Their Soil Balancing for Living Soil class teaches growers how to read and work from a Logan report. This gives students and the Crescive team a shared testing and interpretation process.
Why we use Logan Labs
Living Soil Supplies follows the soil-testing approach we learned through Scott and Sara at Crescive Soil. Logan reports connect that teaching with Godai Furuta's original mineral-balancing spreadsheet and this calculator.
We value having Mehlich III results and saturated-paste results for the same soil sample. They answer different questions, and the calculator keeps their methods, units and reporting limits separate. We also request measured bulk density so amendment calculations can use a confirmed soil mass.
How Godai’s spreadsheet and Crescive’s teaching connect to this project.
Minerals and biology work together
This explanation draws on a Crescive Soil educational email shared with us. We credit Scott and Sara Skamnes for the approach behind it.
Why both matter
Crescive explains that microbes are essential to living soil, but do not resolve every soil problem.
Plants and microbes both need mineral nutrients, and soils differ in what they can supply.
Their approach considers mineral chemistry and soil biology together.
Test before choosing amendments
Crescive recommends testing the soil, reviewing the results and then planning an application.
Their aim is to support soil organisms when choosing mineral forms and doses.
The test results and growing conditions guide those choices.
Mineral balance and heavy metals
The email also connects mineral balance with reduced heavy-metal uptake.
Soil pH and amendments can reduce the availability of some metals, but the effect depends on the contaminant and soil conditions.
Mineral balancing alone does not establish that soil or crops are free of contaminants.
For amendment quality, check a metals analysis that names the tested elements, methods and detection limits.
Tests and prices
Listed lab fees in US dollars, per sample. Checked October 12, 2026.
Official Logan Labs pricing guide (PDF)
| Test or package | USD / sample | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Test | $27 | pH, organic matter, total exchange capacity (TEC), base saturation, sulfur, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, boron, iron, manganese, copper, zinc and aluminum.Available nitrate and ammonium, saturated paste and Extras are separate. |
| Standard with Extras | $32 | Standard Test plus cobalt, molybdenum, selenium, silicon, conductivity and estimated nitrogen release (ENR).ENR is an estimate. It is not a measured nitrate or ammonium result. |
| Saturated Paste Test | $33 | pH, soluble salts, chloride, bicarbonate, sulfur, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, boron, iron, manganese, copper, zinc and aluminum.A separate extraction for soluble nutrients. Keep it separate from the standard soil test. |
| Complete Soil Package | $60 | Standard Test, Saturated Paste, and available nitrate and ammonium. |
| Complete Soil Package with Extras | $65 | Complete Soil Package plus cobalt, molybdenum, selenium, silicon, conductivity and estimated nitrogen release (ENR).Our usual starting package for a full soil review. Confirm bulk density and the reporting requests below. |
Additional tests and add-ons
| Test or package | USD / sample | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Nitrate & Ammonium | $17 | Available nitrate and ammonium added to a Standard Test.Standard Test is required. These results are already included in the Complete Soil Package. |
| Irrigation Water Monitoring | $38 | pH, soluble salts, chloride, bicarbonate, carbonate, alkalinity, hardness, sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), calcium, magnesium, potassium, sodium, iron, boron and sulfate. |
| Irrigation Water Suitability | $46 | Water Monitoring plus nitrate, adjusted sodium adsorption ratio (SAR), pHc and phosphorus.A separate irrigation-water test. Sending water for paste preparation does not automatically order this panel. |
| Complete Plant Tissue Package | $44 | Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, boron, iron, sodium, manganese, copper and zinc. |
| Ammonium Acetate | $32 | Additional soil extraction. Standard Soil Test required.Confirm the method and extraction pH with Logan. This calculator does not treat AA8.2 as M3. |
| Silicon | $10 | Additional soil silicon analysis. Standard Soil Test required.Silicon is already listed in the Extras package. |
| Particle size | $33 | Sand, silt and clay. |
| Particle size plus sand fractions | $44 | Particle size analysis with sand fractions. |
The public guide does not list a bulk-density fee. Ask Logan to confirm the measurement, units and extra charge.
These are lab test prices, not a delivered total. Confirm shipping, additional services and any interpretation fee before ordering.
Recommendations are priced separately. Adding tests after the original work is complete incurs an additional handling fee, which the guide does not price. Logan says samples are retained for four weeks.
Ordering through Crescive
Scott and Sara’s Crescive team offers the following bundles through CGG Distro. Each listed price is for one sample and includes a premarked submission worksheet. Results are sent to Crescive. A recommendation is a separate service.
| Test or package | USD / sample | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Crescive Standard Mineral Analysis | $55.50 | Crescive describes Standard + Nitrogen and lists bulk density.This is a Crescive bundle, not Logan’s $27 Standard Test. |
| Crescive Complete Mineral Analysis | $73.20 | Crescive describes Logan Complete + Extras, with bulk density, nitrate/ammonium and saturated paste.Its itemized description omits silicon, although Logan’s Extras package includes it. Confirm that silicon is requested. |
What we request for our soil workflow
For our full soil review, Living Soil Supplies requests:
- Complete Soil Package with Extras.
- Measured bulk density, with its units and measurement basis. We use a confirmed soil mass for amendment amounts.
- The actual organic matter percentage, including values above 20%, rather than only a greater-than result.
- Mineral results in ppm. Organic matter and base saturation remain percentages.
- If using irrigation water for saturated paste, request that preparation explicitly and label the water to match its soil sample. Confirm the arrangements with Logan.
These are our submission instructions. Confirm availability, methods and extra charges with Logan before sending your samples.
Two different views of soil chemistry
Mehlich III measures extractable soil nutrients. It does not measure every nutrient in the soil.
Saturated paste measures the prepared extract. The preparation water matters, so retain the water type printed on the report. A paste concentration is not the same as a soil-mass ppm result.
Keep biology and source water in view
A chemistry report does not replace a microbial assessment. Scott and Sara’s Crescive approach considers mineral results alongside soil biology.
A separate irrigation-water analysis tells you what your source water already contributes. Our Water tests page currently reads supported Wallace reports.
Sending a sample
- Choose the panel and record the sample.
Specify your test package and additional requests. Give each sample a clear ID and record the sampling date and depth. Use the same ID on its bag and submission worksheet.
- Collect and pack the sample.
Follow Logan’s collection guide for your sample type. Its FAQ requests at least 2 cups of soil per sample.
For a separate water test, Logan requests 12 to 16 ounces in a drinking-water bottle, with the lid taped and the bottle packed securely. Confirm the amount needed when supplying water for paste preparation.
- Include the worksheet and ship to the lab.
Seal the containers and include the completed submission worksheet. Ship to Logan Labs at the Lakeview address above.
For soil coming from outside the continental United States, contact Logan first for current shipping instructions and permit paperwork.
- Review the reports before calculating.
Logan emails reports and an invoice. Its instructions list online credit-card payment or a mailed check.
Open the M3 and saturated paste PDFs separately in the calculator. Select matching samples and check the results, units and reporting limits before using them.
Logan sample collection and shipping instructions
Logan lists 3 to 5 business days after receipt for soil. Shipping and a separate recommendation appointment take additional time.
For water and tissue, the FAQ lists 1 to 2 business days, while the price guide lists 3 to 5 for all samples. Confirm current timing with the lab.
Forms and resources
- Official Logan Labs pricing guide (PDF)
- How to collect and send a sample
- Submission worksheet (PDF)
- Testing methodologies (PDF)
- Calculations and conversions (PDF)
- Interpretation guidelines
- Frequently asked questions
- Sample complete soil and saturated paste reports (PDF)
- Logan customer portal
- Crescive: obtaining accurate data from a Logan soil test
Prepared by Living Soil Supplies.
This profile is our guide to using Logan Labs, not a Logan Labs publication.
Saved prices and contact information were checked October 12, 2026.
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