Natural indicators: what plants will tell about the type of soil and the depth of water on the land

2023 Author: Zachary Higgins | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-24 18:24

On each plot of land, the soil is a separate ecosystem with a certain set of microorganisms that affect its fertility. In addition, the chemical composition of the soil also affects the fertility of the soil, which it is desirable to determine before planting all kinds of crops. Simple weeds, which are an excellent indicator, will help to do this.

Having studied what plants are on the site, you can find out about salinity, groundwater (their level), acid-base balance of the soil, whether there are minerals in the soil.

1. Acidity

There are different ways to determine which soil PH is. The easiest way to do this is along the vegetation growing on the site:

• sorrel, horsetail, field mint, plantain, ivan-da-marya - PH not higher than 5 (sour);

field bindweed, quinoa, chamomile - PH 5-6, 6 (slightly acidic);

cornflower, brisk garden, nettle, quinoa, field radish, red clover, coltsfoot - PH 6, 6-7, 2 (neutral);

meadow sage, toadflax, wild poppy, field violet, alfalfa, field mustard - PH from 7, 3 and above (alkaline).

Most of not only cultivated but also wild plants prefer neutral or slightly acidic soil. By the way, you can also clarify the information for yourself by watering the soil with a nine percent vinegar solution. If after it foam appears on the surface of the earth, then the soil is alkaline, otherwise it is acidic.

2. Nitrogen

This element is necessary for plants for their normal growth and development. It is especially relevant in the spring and early summer. In order not to apply more fertilizers than required, you need to know how much nitrogen is in the soil.

And here plants come to the rescue:

• violet tricolor, white clover, lanceolate plantain, sedum, navel, common heather, wild carrot - there is little nitrogen in the soil;

chicory, dioecious nettle, motherwort, quinoa, medium starweed, dimple - there is a lot of nitrogen in the soil.

If this substance is not enough, fertilizers such as ammonium sulfate, saltpeter, urea should be applied.

3. Magnesium and potassium

Both of these substances play an important role in plants. Magnesium is especially needed during their growth, during the growing season. It takes part in the formation of chlorophyll required for photosynthesis. Thanks to potassium, the fruits grow more tasty. And the plants themselves are much more resistant to various kinds of diseases.

With the help of weeds, you can identify the presence of these minerals in the soil:

• hogweed and quinoa - there is a lot of potassium in the soil;

common oak tree, wild hellebore, foxglove - the presence of magnesium in sufficient quantities.

If some mineral is not enough, special fertilizers will help.

4. Salt, limestone, sand, clay

Every gardener needs to know the composition of the soil. This will allow you to properly organize watering plants, loosening the soil.

And here natural indicators signal unmistakably:

• plantain, coltsfoot, garden thistle, dandelion, field mint, creeping buttercup, horsetail - clay soil;

wild poppy, heather, mullein, spurge, medium starweed - sandy soil;

spurge, buttercup, lumbago, toadflax, alfalfa - the predominance of limestone in the soil.

If quinoa and salicornia grow, then the soil is saline. If there are heavy metals in the soil, pansies, violets, sleep-grass will grow on the site.

5. Groundwater - the level of their occurrence

Provided that horsetails and marigold grow on the site, you can be sure that the water is close to the surface - about twenty to thirty centimeters. You can also navigate by other plants:

• up to 50 cm - 1 meter - meadowsweet;

up to a meter - cattail;

up to one to one and a half meters - field mint, bluegrass, rank;

about one and a half meters - nettles, hemlock, European swimsuit, coltsfoot, sedge, foxglove.

one and a half to five meters - licorice;

up to two meters - reed grass, forget-me-not, reed, creeping buttercup, reed;

meter - one and a half - willow;

from two to three meters - meadow core, garden thistle, horse sorrel;

up to three meters - alder;

three to five meters - wheatgrass, plantain.

Damp earth is loved by meadowsweet, currant bushes, poplar. If the trees lean in one direction on the site, then the groundwater is located close to the surface. In the presence of wormwood, summer adonis, chamomile, white nap and plantain, the soil is dry.

Find out more interesting and useful things by reading what plants are stove ash contraindicated and can destroy them.