When asked what color planet Earth is, most people will answer - blue. Slightly fewer people will say green. Meanwhile, the color of our planet is not only the shade that astronauts see through the porthole or the tone given to it by forests and fields. This is, first of all, the color of the earth itself, that is - the soil.
What is the soil?
The color of the earth depends on the type of soil. Each species has its own, unique color. The types of soils found in our country most often:
- clayey;
- sandy;
- calcareous;
- marshy.
Varieties such as sandy loam and loam are also frequent, and chernozems are characteristic of the southern regions of Russia. Soils usually do not occur in their pure form, without admixture. They are usually mixed.
About clay soils
The question of what color the earth is, if clay soil, usually does not arise in anyone. Of course, this is a terracotta color of all kinds of shades. Gray is pure, ornamental clay. In the soil, clay is contained with various impurities.
Such land is considered heavy and not suitable for flowers. However, this is not quite the right point of view. Some plants feel quite comfortable after planting in clay soil. For example, clay is preferred to all other varieties of earth:
- hearty incense;
- climbing honeysuckle;
- coreopsis;
- shrubby cinquefoil;
- soft cuff;
- lungwort;
- ferns.
Lilac, currants, raspberries, beans and many other plants feel good precisely in clay soil.
About sandy soils
Sandstones are light and dry soil types. What color is the land containing sand? Of course, yellowish, ocher, sometimes with a red tint. Such soils have the color of a dusty summer country sandy road. This land is loose and loose. She hardly gets wet, passing water through herself. For example, it is impossible to create a lump from it, even if it is completely moistened.
It would seem that this type of soil is too poor for flowers. However, there are plants that prefer sandstones:
- gatsaniya;
- Syrian hibiscus
- Cleoma
- cosmea;
- lavender;
- marine lobularia;
- penstemon;
- sage.
It is in such a land that the rosehip grows best, and tulips also feel great in it.
About calcareous soils
The color of the land filled with calcareous rocks depends on the specific volume of impurities. In the classic form, this is a light brown shade or the color of wet sand, but grayish soils are also found.
This land is scarce - it has a lot of alkali. This soil is also characterized by rapid drying. However, she is loved by flowers such as:
- pressed anacyclus;
- anagallis;
- Ankhuza Kapskaya;
- Snapdragon;
- prickly artichoke;
- Asperula Oriental;
- blue cornflower;
- folded galanthus;
- cloves;
- panicle gypsophila;
- chrysanthemum;
- Calendula
- bell.
It is this kind of land that bindweed and saxifrage prefer covering the flower-pot or flowerbed with a light snow-white cloud during the flowering period.
About marshy soils
This variety of soils is often called otherwise - peatlands. For some reason, there is a strong opinion that the question of which land is better for flowers is the only answer - with peat. Probably, this conviction is caused by the properties of this variety of land. It warms up quickly, absorbs water well and remains wet for a long time. However, not every flower or other plant will tolerate the abundance of substances that are rich in peat bogs. Many flower crops in such a land literally burn roots.
The color of the swampy soil is saturated, dense - from almost chocolate to bright brown. The following plants prefer such land:
- astilbe;
- periwinkle;
- Buzulnik;
- loosestrife;
- geranium;
- a center;
- kaluzhnitsa;
- a swimsuit;
- lily of the valley;
- meadowsweet;
- lungwort.
They love this kind of soil irises, gladioli and hosts.
However, even growing those flowers that initially feel great in swampy land, you need to mix it with neutral soils or just sand.
About chernozems
Each resident of the southern regions, the question of what kind of land is needed for flowers, without hesitation will answer - black soil. The color of this soil corresponds to its name - black. This type of land is indeed the most fertile and ideal for most flowers, especially if tropical exotics are planned to be grown.
Black earths are good both in street pots and in indoor flower pots. They are loved by violets and roses, hyacinths and magnolias. Almost any plant feels great in such a land, but they differ in their special love for chernozem:
- peonies;
- phlox;
- primrose
- Anemones
- Lilies
- Turkish carnation.
Absolutely all annuals bloom magnificently in chernozem. Marigolds, pansies, asters and petunias feel especially good in such a land.
What is better for indoor flowers?
When it comes to what land to choose for indoor flowers - a ready-made mixture in bright packaging or borrow soil from a flowerbed in the old fashioned way, the opinions of gardeners and plant lovers are divided into two camps.
Some plant connoisseurs are categorically opposed to the acquisition of ready-made soil mixtures, claiming that their composition has nothing to do with the picture on the package and the name. Others, on the contrary, are loyal fans of packages with the earth, noting the convenience and simplicity of growing indoor flowers with the help of such compounds.
Ready mixes have an undeniable advantage over street soil: they do not need to be processed or calcined. The soil in the packaging is already decontaminated and completely safe for both flowers and the gardener.
Which is better for a particular flower is hard to say. What is ideal for geraniums is not suitable for orchids. Therefore, it is necessary to decide which land to choose for your flowers, based on the variety of plants and taking into account the general atmosphere in the apartment’s room, that is, humidity, light and much more.