What Soil Suits Different Crops? Read This and You'll Understand Everything

What soil suits different crops for planting, read this and you'll fully understand! Soil pH refers to the acidity or alkalinity of the soil. The pH scale ranges from 0 to 14, and from low to high pH the soil is respectively acidic, neutral and alkaline. When the pH value is 7, the soil shows a neutral reaction; below 7 it is acidic, while above 7 it is alkaline.

Plants can grow normally over a very wide range, but each kind of plant has its own suitable pH. For example, the suitable soil pH range for apples is 5.3~8.2, with the optimum range being 5.4~6.8. When the soil pH value goes beyond the optimum range, as the pH value increases or decreases, plant growth is hindered and development is delayed. Most plants struggle to grow when pH>9.0 or <2.5.

Soil acidity and alkalinity also have a great effect on nutrient availability. For instance, in neutral soil the availability of phosphorus is high; in alkaline soil the availability of trace elements (manganese, copper, zinc, etc.) is poor.

China divides soil acidity and alkalinity into five levels: strongly acidic soil (pH less than 5), acidic soil (pH 5.0~6.5), neutral soil (pH 6.5~7.5), alkaline soil (pH 7.5~8.5), strongly alkaline soil (pH greater than 8.5).

So how do you tell them apart?

5 looks, 1 touch, 1 test, and you're done!

First, look at the soil source

Soil from mountain forests, and humus soil from gullies, is generally black or brown soil, fairly loose, fertile and with good permeability; it is a very good acidic humus soil. Such as: pine needle humus soil, peat humus soil, etc.

Second, look at the soil color

Acidic soil is generally darker in color, mostly blackish-brown, while alkaline soil is mostly light in color, such as white or yellow. In some saline-alkali areas, there is often a layer of white salt on the soil surface.

Third, look at the texture

Alkaline soil is loose in texture, with strong air and water permeability; acidic soil is hard in texture, and the soil tends to become compacted.

Fourth, look at the plants on the surface

When collecting soil samples, you can observe the plants growing on the surface. Generally, soil where pine trees, fir-like plants and rhododendrons grow is mostly acidic; while soil in areas where millet, sorghum, suaeda (seepweed) and the like grow is mostly alkaline.

Fifth, look at what happens after watering

After watering acidic soil, the water seeps down fairly quickly, no white bubbles appear, and the water surface is rather cloudy; after watering alkaline soil, the water seeps down more slowly, white bubbles appear on the water surface, white foam forms, and sometimes there is also a layer of white alkaline substance on the surface.

By feel

Acidic soil held in the hand is generally soft, and after releasing it the soil easily crumbles and does not clump; alkaline soil feels quite hard and firm in the hand, and after releasing it easily clumps and does not crumble.

When cultivating crops, you must first understand the suitable pH range of the crop being grown, and whether it likes acidic or neutral soil, or can adapt to alkaline soil. If the soil acidity or alkalinity is not suitable, it needs to be adjusted and improved.

For soil that is too acidic, 20 to 25 kg of lime can be applied per mu each year, along with sufficient farmyard manure. Never apply only lime without farmyard manure, as this will instead make the soil turn yellow and poor. Apply it 1~3 months before sowing, so as not to affect crop germination and growth. You can also apply 40 to 50 kg of plant ash to neutralize soil acidity and better regulate the soil's water and fertilizer conditions.

For alkaline soil, usually 30 to 40 kg of gypsum per mu is applied as a base fertilizer for improvement.

When the soil is too alkaline, a small amount of aluminum sulfate (phosphorus fertilizer needs to be supplemented when applying it), ferrous sulfate (fast-acting, but its effect does not last long, so it needs frequent application), sulfur powder (slow-acting, but with the most lasting effect), humic acid fertilizer, etc. can be added. The specific application amount is determined according to the soil acidity and alkalinity.

Regularly watering with diluted solutions of ferrous sulfate or aluminum sulfate can increase soil acidity. Because humic acid fertilizer contains more humus, such as sea spirit biostimulant, it can adjust soil acidity and alkalinity fairly safely. Aluminum sulfate is also used to adjust soil pH value, because while it hydrolyzes to form aluminum hydroxide it also produces a small amount of dilute sulfuric acid solution.

If crops are growing in the field, acidic and alkaline fertilizers can be applied in greater amounts to adjust soil acidity and alkalinity. Using alkaline elements such as calcium and magnesium to replace hydrogen ions raises the pH value and can also provide nutrients to the crops.

(1) Apply more organic fertilizer. This is the most fundamental measure for adjusting soil acidity and alkalinity, and it can improve the soil's buffering capacity. Soil buffering capacity is closely related to the humus content in the soil, and humus mainly comes from organic matter. Therefore, in agricultural production, emphasis must be placed on applying more organic fertilizer.

(2) Apply chemical fertilizers reasonably. Generally speaking, for acidic soil, choose alkaline fertilizers such as ammonium bicarbonate, and for phosphorus fertilizer choose calcium magnesium phosphate. For alkaline soil, choose easily soluble acidic chemical fertilizers, such as ammonium chloride, calcium superphosphate, etc. Urea is a neutral organic nitrogen fertilizer and can be applied to both acidic and alkaline soil, but after application, wait 3~5 days before irrigating, to prevent loss and improve fertilizer efficiency.

(3) Apply alkaline fertilizer appropriately. For soil that is fairly acidic (below pH 5.5), heavy in texture and with high organic matter content, appropriately apply more alkaline fertilizer, generally about 50~100 kg per mu as a base application, once every 2~3 years; for strongly alkaline soil, 15~25 kg of gypsum (calcium sulfate) per mu can be applied to adjust its alkalinity. Be careful to use it in the right amount, so as to avoid causing soil salinization.