STONY SOILS: CHARACTERISTICS, CROPS AND PROBLEMS - ENVIRONMENT - 2025

The rocky ground is a type of soil containing rock formations with insets. Obtaining such a formation is carried out through the doubling of the earth's surface due to mechanically induced causes or natural events.

This type of soil is usually also called rocky soils for the previously named incrustations. One of the characteristics of this type of flooring is that they are semi-waterproof, thus preventing the entry of water.

Example of stony soil

Although it is very difficult for there to be some type of sowing in this soil, there are plants of xerophilic origin that can grow in this type of formation. For agriculture, stony soil is unproductive due to its lack of minerals and fertilizer, a fact that is also highlighted by its few absorption properties.

The abundance of this type of soil is extensive around the world. The study of this type of soil is complicated due to the null separation of gravel or stones.

The extraction of these materials for their future evaluation is one of the most complicated tasks in the study of this soil.

Crops that are grown on stony soil

Yarrow

Scientifically called Achilea millefolium, it is a type of flower belonging to the Asteraceae family. It is usually born in regions of the northern hemisphere in Asia, Europe and North America.

It has been introduced as a livestock feed in countries like New Zealand and Australia. However, yarrow is a weed in these places, and sometimes in its place of origin as well.

In New Mexico and southern Colorado it is called plumage due to the shape of its leaves and texture. In ancient times this plant was known as herbal militaris for its use to staunch the flow of blood produced by wounds.

It is a type of decorative plant that tends to decorate gardens and patios, comparing with the type of stony soil that is also a type of decorative character in many parts of the world due to its peculiar and attractive formation.

Calendula

Calendula officinalis is a plant of the calendula branch of the Asteraceae family. It probably comes from southern Europe although its long history of cultivation makes it impossible to know its origin.

It is widely naturalized around northern Europe (from north to south of England) and also in warm temperatures in various regions of the world.

Calendula is a type of aromatic plant that can grow up to 80 centimeters, and the leaves can be 5 to 17 centimeters in length, elongated, and hairy on both sides. Sometimes it is a type of toothed plant.

Man love

Also known by its scientific name Tradescantia fluminensis, it is a native species of South America. It is one of many plants known by the popular name Wandering Jew. It is a plant with small leaves and frequent in rivers.

This type of plant is used to decorate gardens or patios due to its peculiar shape and white leaves that resemble jasmine. The size of its leaves is peculiarly small, and does not extend to more than 1 millimeter in length.

Fine lavender

Also known by its scientific name Lavandula officinalis, it comes from England and does not require exhaustive care, especially because of its origin and place of growth.

When sprouting in stony soils, it gives this type of plant an adaptive and survival character that is very difficult to wilt.

Problems that stony soil can present

The size, density and origin of rocks dictate whether or not they present a problem for gardens.

This type of soil might not pose a problem for the landscape or decoration of a type of garden, more however, this type of soil can have a great impact on the cost of construction.

Leveling

Grading a stony type of soil, to ensure that the surface drains properly or supports a specific structure, requires a great deal of work in altering the shape of the soil. In mountainous cities or areas where stony soils are common, leveling these types of soils is not an easy job.

Rocks can easily bend the blades of a backhoe or caterpillar machinery. This becomes doubly difficult when the stones are in a very dense ratio that makes it reluctant to come out under pressure.

Excavation

Any type of construction requires excavation, be it to open a hole, create a swimming pool, insert a gazebo, etc. This type of soil can make it impossible to use certain types of essential equipment for the construction of any structure.

Stone removal

The extraction of these types of stones within a stony soil can be a double job that will increase construction costs. Due to the little separation between plants, it is almost necessary to do a fracking process that is undoubtedly expensive due to the nature of the soil.

This type of soil is commonly frequent in mountainous areas, in South America it occurs frequently in the Andean zone that extends from Venezuela to Argentina through the Andean mountain range.

Europe, due to its mountainous nature, has a large amount of stony soil, which is why it is the country of origin of most of the plants that grow this type of formation.

The positive characteristic of this type of sole is that it presents an easy drainage system, making it very difficult for the lands with these formations to flood or to produce lagoons. One of the reasons for this is that due to its stony nature, it makes it very difficult to absorb water.

For field questions, or agriculture, this field is unproductive and infertile due to the little amount of nutrients and minerals that exist; In addition, the absorption of fertilizer or chemicals for planting in this type of soil is almost nil. Most of the time this stony soil is used for gardens of a decorative, artificial or natural nature.

References

1. National Institutes of Health. "Calendula". Herbs and Supplements. US National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
2. MAF biosecurity New Zealand (2009). "MAF pest report on Wandering Willy." Retrieved July 24, 2010.