Paragraph on “Soil a Necessity for Plants” complete paragraph for Class 9, Class 10, Class 11 and Class 12

Soil a Necessity for Plants

There are various features of soil which allow plants to grow in it. The small garden outside our house may have millions of insects, organisms in it which thrive on other organic and inorganic matter in the soil which makes it fertile for plants. Soil has various layers with ‘Humus’ at the top followed by ‘Topsoil’ and ‘Subsoil’ finally the lowest layer is made of crumbled rocks. Soil is formed as a result of the crumbling and wearing down of rocks and it gives the plant roots their foundation. Plants draw food from the soil and in exchange hold it in place with their roots thus preventing soil erosion.

All living things ultimately end up in soil where they rot and form a compost heap. Bacteria, insects and worms thrive in these heaps, recycling household rubbish, thus helping the contents of the heap to decay. Eventually this compost heap turns into humus which becomes a supply of food for the soil. Plants draw up the nutrients in the soil along with water through their roots and thrive by making their food. A carrot plant for example would store its food reserves in the shape of a carrot and we eat carrots because they provide us with necessary nutrients for our body. Plants largely depend upon getting their food from the topsoil and the subsoil since most of the nutrients lie at these layers and because their roots are incapable of going deeper into the ground. This is the reason why plants do not grow properly in areas where the topsoil has been eroded. When farmers cultivate areas of land, they rotate the crops they sow, depending upon the season. Different types of plants use different types If nutrients in the Earth which is the reason why a balance of nutrition s maintained in the soil by planting different crops. Farmers also add artificial fertilisers, which are rich in minerals, to increase the fertility of the soil.