Result-Driven Laboratory Methods

The founding members of Apical’s laboratory developed the plant and soil methods with a singular goal in mind: to reach maximum crop quality and yields within Organic and Regenerative Production standards.

Experiments Lead to Knowledge

Apical founding members farmed professionally for many years in a wide range of soil types. They had similar experiences to most growers– by embracing existing soil/plant analysis methods, they received inconsistent results in organic systems.  By using established methods over many years, some soil test results indicated that the soil was healthy when it could hardly grow a crop.

This led to a very deep dive into academic literature and the realization of the uncomfortable truth that to achieve top quality organic production, new laboratory methods were necessary.  From 2012 to 2017 Apical founding members performed an extensive review of mineral analysis methods of plants and soils, surveying established methods worldwide. Simultaneously a the team experimented with and researched a variety of soil and plant testing methods and compared results of field trials .

Method Development

By 2016, the framework for the Apical Leaf Extract Analysis Method took shape. Powered by hundreds of individual experiments in greenhouses and on research farms, our growing database of results confirmed that plants have their physiology altered by supplementing amendments and fertilizer during the growing season.

In 2017, Apical founders finished their survey of soil methods worldwide and began finalizing the Soil Solution Analysis method.

See our Comparison of Various Soil Methods for more information on why we chose the Apical Soil Solution Analysis method and more recently combined multiple existing laboratory methods for a Complete Soil Analysis that reveals to the grower how each soil nutrient is being made available through various types of root access—offering multiple layers of nutrient management decision support.

Breaking Ground

In 2017, the Apical lab launched its first commercial sample processing to a limited audience of beta testers. The beta testers understood that research of the plant’s nutritional intake was ideal for obtaining increased crop production. The Apical lab processed hundreds of samples in 2017. This is a fraction of what the lab does today.

By the end of 2017, the Apical team had launched an online database and reporting system for reports giving growers online access to many new features including the charting of reports, sharing, and purchasing recommendations.

Current and Future Potential

Between 2018 and 2022, Apical processed tens of thousands of samples, explored new analytes for plants and soil, identified potential new methods for the industry, and began R & D of the next generation of plant and soil analysis.

As the 2020s progress, the Apical lab has become an industry-leading resource of innovative crop production methods and techniques for a wide range of clients, serving hundreds of top quality production farms and agronomy firms around the world. Our ongoing R & D efforts continue to bear fruit for our growing network of customers.