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Types of Garden Soil

Red Soil

Any of a group of soils that develop in a warm, temperate, moist climate under deciduous or mixed forests and that have thin organic and organic-mineral layers overlying a yellowish-brown leached layer resting on an illuvial red layer. Red soils generally form from iron-rich sedimentary rock. They are usually poor growing soils, low in nutrients and humus and difficult to cultivate. It is poor in humus but can be made fertile by adding manure.

Black Soil

Black Earth is the black-colored soil that contains a very high percentage of humus - 3% to 15% rich in phosphoric acids, phosphorus and ammonia. It has a large depth, often more than 40 inches, up to 250 inches (6 meters) in Ukraine. It is very fertile and does not require any fertilizing. Because of that it is often considered to be the best kind of soil for cultivation. It is suited for growing cotton and sugarcane.

Mineral soil

This type of soil contains a mixture of clay, sand and salt. It is very fertile and specially good for cropping wheat, rice and sugarcane.

Desert Soil

Desert soil can be very alkaline and high in salt. It is brown gray in color. The soil is sandy, porus and cannot hold much water. Only some throny branches and cactii can grow naturally in such soil.

Mountain Soil

The soil of a mountain ridge top may be rocky, shallow, and alkaline, but the valleys below that ridge may be loamy, deep and acidic. It is the highest humus content and hence is very fertile.

Laterite

Laterite is a surface formation in hot and wet tropical areas which is enriched in iron and aluminum and develops by intensive and long lasting weathering of the underlying parent rock. Nearly all kinds of rocks can be deeply decomposed by the action of high rainfall and elevated temperatures. The percolating rain water causes dissolution of primary rock minerals and decrease of easily soluble elements as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium and silicon. This gives rise to a residual concentration of more insoluble elements predominantly iron and aluminum. It is mostly found in humid tropical regions. It is red in color and is good for crops such as tea, coffee and coconut. It is also used to make bricks.