The most fertile soil: a description of 7 types, and which one is best for plants

Soil fertility is a special criterion used to determine how suitable it is for growing crops. This is of great importance and determines the success of its economic use. Consider the types of soils by this indicator, which are the most fertile soils on the planet and why. What are the properties of soils of different types, what methods are used to improve fertility.

Clay soil

Clay soil is considered to be soil that is more than 90% composed of clay particles, the rest is sand. It has the following characteristics: high density, water absorption coefficient is below average, moisture is poorly absorbed, after digging it remains in large lumps.Clay earth strongly sticks to the feet when moistened, it warms up for a long time in spring, but it also cools for a long time, it has mainly an acidic reaction.

In clay soil, nutrients and water are retained well, but air does not penetrate well, and when waterlogged, the roots can rot. After rains, a dense crust forms on the surface, which cracks. Clay soil can become fertile with regular digging and loosening, that is, during agricultural activities that are aimed at making it drier and giving way to air.

Sandy soil

Soil with a lot of sand is not very fertile. It is dry, water passes down quickly and easily, remains in deep layers, where it is difficult for plant roots to get it. Because of this, plants of most species do not have enough moisture. But the air to the roots passes easily and in sufficient quantity.

Sandy soil heats up quickly, but cools down just as quickly.In spring this is an advantage, but in summer the roots of plants can overheat, and in autumn they lack heat. Land with a lot of sand does not contain enough nutrients that are washed down with water. It can be fertile if fertilized and watered.

Sandy loamy

According to the characteristics, sandy loam is more like sandy soil, has a light composition. But it contains more clay particles, so it retains organic and mineral substances better, heats up quickly, like sand, but retains heat better. It passes moisture more slowly, therefore it dries out more slowly, it passes air well. It is easy to process it, you need to dig and loosen it less often than clay, a crust does not form on it.

Sandy loamy soil is suitable for growing most garden and horticultural plants using standard agricultural practices, if zoned varieties are selected. Sandy loams are quite widespread and are the parent rock for many soil types.

Loamy

This is the best type of soil for agricultural use. It is suitable for all cultures. It is quite easy to process, but you need to loosen it often, because a crust forms on top. Air and moisture passes in sufficient quantity for plants, warms up and retains heat, contains many nutrients.

Loamy soil does not need improvement, it is only necessary to maintain its natural fertility, for example, fertilize, loosen, mulch the beds.

Limestone

Contains carbonates, which makes it alkaline. Stony inclusions may occur. Lime earth heats up and dries fairly quickly and can be either light or heavy in texture. Due to the lime content, manganese and iron are poorly given to plants, because of this, their growth slows down, and the leaves turn yellow prematurely.All types of plants can be grown on calcareous soil, except for those that love acidic soil.

Peat marshy

Crops are also grown on such soils, but in themselves they are infertile. They have a thin fertile layer, in which there is little humus and nutrients. They are saturated with moisture, absorb it quickly, warm up for a long time, and are often acidic. Peat-bog soils have enough nutrients, they are easily processed and cultivated.

Chernozems

This type of soil is the most fertile on earth. They have an excellent granular-lumpy structure, a thick top layer with a high content of humus. Formed on loam, therefore, they absorb well and perfectly retain moisture, air, heat, and mineral components. The reaction of chernozems is predominantly neutral or slightly acidic, which also favors the cultivation of plants.

On the planet, chernozems are found in the temperate zone, in flat areas, in conditions of stable heat, evaporation exceeding moisture, winter freezing of the soil.

Chernozems are fertile, but can also be depleted, so when growing crops on them, you can not do without fertilization, as well as the use of methods to improve the mechanical composition.

Methods to improve fertility

There is not a single soil in the world that is fertile all the time. No matter how rich the land is, it will become depleted if you grow crops on it constantly and do not add the nutrients that the plants pulled out of it. In order for the land to be fertile, the plants to give a good harvest, you need to monitor the following indicators of the soil: moisture, evaporation and their ratio, friability, the amount of basic and additional nutrients, mechanical composition.

Reducing the fertility of the land is expressed in a decrease in its productivity. Planted plants lose their natural immunity to diseases, they become more susceptible to pathogens of various diseases, this leads to a decrease in yield and even death of plants.

To increase fertility, it is necessary to apply several agrotechnical measures at once, their choice depends on the type of soil. For all types, you need to adhere to the correct crop rotation, do not grow crops in one place all the time. Every season it is necessary to change the plants, and return them to their old place only after 5 years.

Sow green manure and medicinal plants: cereals, mustard and phacelia, marigolds, wormwood, nettle, calendula, garlic and shepherd's purse. Siderates fill the soil with nutrients, medicinal plants heal, cleanse pathogens and fungi.In addition to sowing green manure, it is recommended to leave soil plots unsown for the season so that the earth rests. At this time, it is necessary to continue processing: loosen, remove weeds, dig in spring and autumn.

To improve the soil, heat treatment is also used, during which weed seeds, larvae and eggs of pests, bacteria, fungi are destroyed by heating.

A good way to recover is to breed California worms. They digest organic matter and saturate the soil with humus; the more worms it contains, the more fertile it is.

Mandatory fertilization, both at the end or beginning of the season, and during the growing period of plants. You can use both organic, that is, manure, humus, compost and ash, and mineral - containing nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and trace elements.

It is recommended to plant plants in beds in mixed plantings, that is, satellite plants that improve soil condition should be planted to the main crop: basil, thyme, marigolds, rosemary, chamomile.

And, finally, to improve the mechanical composition of the soil, you need to add sand to clay soil, and clay or soddy soil and peat to sandy soil. Apply lime to acidic, acidifying fertilizers to alkaline. Loosen and dig clay and loam, cover with mulch material to prevent drying and compaction. For loosening, you can add sawdust, straw, tree bark and chips, fallen leaves.

Soil fertility is determined by many characteristics. Chernozem is considered the most fertile, but it also requires the use of supporting agrotechnical measures. The rest of the soils have more flaws than the chernozem, and they are more in need of improvement.A set of improvement measures can make any land suitable for growing crops.

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