Have you ever wondered why no matter how much you watered, fertilised or weeded your garden that your favourite plants just don’t grow? Even if you follow all of the instructions, there is no guarantee that you will be able to achieve your ambition of a dream garden – unless you know what’s in your soil. BBC Scotland’s Beechgrove Garden will be giving an insight into the little-known world of soil when they visit the Macaulay Institute in an episode aired at 7:30pm on 16th April.

Presenter of Scotland’s favourite gardening programme, Jim McColl sampled some soil from the three-acre Beechgrove Garden in Aberdeenshire and sent it off to Macaulay Institute for thorough analysis. In this episode, Jim visits the Institute to get the results and learn more from the experts.

“If you want to get the most from your garden it’s important to know what type of soil you have and how to improve it,” said Macaulay Institute’s soil specialist, Dr. Jason Owen. “It is essential to understand how certain improvements – such as adding fertilizer – can have knock-on effects, such as changing the soil’s acidity.”

Macaulay doesn’t just test soil for TV presenters. The Institute’s world famous laboratories can also test soil for gardeners all over the country. All they have to do is request a test kit from the Institute, which includes a container to return their soil by freepost.

The soil sample is then taken through a number of comprehensive tests. These include analysis for pH levels, nutrients, organic matter and nitrate. The high quality soil data is then sent back to the customer by post or email within 3-10 working days.

In another episode later in the series, Beechgrove’s Jim McColl will be giving simple advice on how to improve the quality of your soil once you have the results back from the Macaulay Institute.

Scotland’s favourite gardening programme is aired every Wednesday at 7:30pm on BBC One Scotland, from April to September.

If you are interested in finding the substance in your soil, visit www.MacaulaySoils.com or call 01224 498 200 to order a Macaulay Soil Testing Kit.

ENDS

The Macaulay Institute is synonymous with soils, and it has over 70 years experience of working with soils and farmers, as well as being responsible for the National Soils Database for Scotland. MacaualaySoils.com offers customers unique access to these world class soil testing facilities, providing a range of fast, professional and affordable testing services

For further information contact:

Kylie Maebus

Tricker PR

9 Victoria Street

Aberdeen

AB10 1XB

Telephone 01224 646491

Fax 01224 646492

Mobile 07795 522 010

Email kmaebus@trickerpr.com