Some may think that volcanoes are just natural disasters, but this is not true. Many ancient civilizations settled near volcanoes thousands of years ago. They wanted to find a fertile soil and to take advantage of these igneous rocks full of useful minerals. Where volcanic activity pushes igneous rocks to the surface outside the Earth.
In today’s article, we’re discussing the crops that we recommend to be grown in volcanic soils!
What Crops Grow Best In Volcanic Soil?
Volcanic soil is suitable for growing many crops because it contains a lot of nutrients. Volcanic soil is good for growing root vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, turnips, and onions. The reason behind this is the subsoil layer that rises under the soil in volcanic areas.
Coffee can also be grown best in volcanic soil, where coffee thrives in this soil. Volcanic soil is suitable for growing tea and many types of nuts. It is also suitable for growing many crops such as sorghum, corn, tomatoes, peas, bamboo, eucalyptus, and pyrethrum.
What Is Volcanic Soil?
It is formed by the occurrence of a volcano and then the emergence of deep layers from the depths of the earth to the surface. These layers and rocks have unique physical and chemical properties. A variety of useful minerals and organic materials come out to the surface of the soil.[1]
Does Volcanic Soil Have Nutrients?
Yes, Volcanic soil contains many nutrients. It has certain chemical properties as a result of volcanic activity. It is often very rich in nutrients and mineral elements derived from lava and ash such as iron, potassium, magnesium and silicon. There are also sulfur, calcium, phosphorus and many other elements that act as a catalyst for the growth of plants.
The fame of the benefits of volcanic soil has become so well known. The volcanic soil dust is now being sold in many markets and online, where farmers use it to increase the fertility of their soil.
Note: Volcanic dust is the dust that results from the breaking of rocks resulting from a volcano. It contains many minerals and useful elements.
If you want to buy volcanic rock dust, be sure to buy finely ground volcanic soil particles as possible. Whereas, the closer its texture is to flour, the better it spreads and distributes in your soil, which gives high nutrition to plants.
Volcanic dust makes a big difference in your soil if it is small and you put an appropriate amount that suffices the entire space. but it may not be available to many on large farms where it is very expensive to purchase large quantities of volcanic dust for large areas.
Volcanic dust is used at a rate of three tons per acre, which equals 1.25 pounds per square yard, the quantity can be doubled if you have the opportunity.
Is Volcanic Soil The Best Soil For Farming?
It cannot be said that volcanic soil is better than any other soil or worse. It is like other types of soil as its quality depends on its composition and the climatic conditions in which it is located.
A volcanic soil that receives large amounts of rain is a very fertile soil. It is also classified as one of the most fertile soils. As the volcanic materials are disintegrated by the weather and produce soil with abundant food for plants.
This is what happens on, the Kona Coast of Hawaii where coffee and nut plants thrive and give the best crop. In addition to the nutrients that we mentioned above, there is another feature of volcanic soil that makes it a distinctive soil for many plants, which is its great ability to retain water due to its content of volcanic ash.
Is Volcanic Soil Good For Farming?
Yes, as the volcanic soil that is located near the places of volcanoes contains many nutrients that the soil lacks with the passage of time.
The roots of plants greedily devour the minerals in the soil. With the passage of time, a depletion occurs in the natural soil reserves of materials and mineral elements. which reduces the growth of plants or Sometimes causes their growth to stop. So the minerals produced in volcanic soils provide wonderful nutrients for plant roots.
FAQs
Why is volcanic soil good for tomatoes?
This is because the soil has minerals that are very beneficial to tomatoes, such as potassium and phosphorus.
Where is volcanic soil found?
Volcanic soils are found in areas where volcanism occurs. The main areas of volcanic soils are Peru, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, the United States, Japan. It is also popular in Central America, Kamchatka, New Zealand, the Philippines. In addition, you can find it Indonesia, and the island countries of the Southwest Pacific.
Is volcanic soil good for farming all plants?
Simply, no! Volcanic soil is highly acidic. It is not suitable for some crops including Grapefruits, berries, stone fruits and avocados. It also doesn’t work good with feijoa, kiwi, bell peppers, tamarillos, and citrus fruits.
