While you can easily determine the acidity of the garden soil using a test kit, the nutrient content is a different story. You often only notice that the garden plants are missing something when they become sick and hang their heads or don't want to thrive at all. There are a number of practical wild plants that are undesirable in the garden and are fought against by gardeners, but are nevertheless a bioindicator of the nutrient content and condition of the soil. We introduce you to a few such indicator plants!
These plants indicate soil compaction
The soil density can be determined using the following indicator plants:
The creeping buttercup loves dense soils
The creeping buttercup with its small, yellow flowers is a sign that the soil is very compacted. So if some of your perennials just don't want to thrive despite perfect care, it's not due to a lack of nutrients or the wrong location, but simply because the soil is too firm.
Field horsetail in the herbaceous bed
This plant also prefers to grow in compacted soil and is therefore a sign of this. If you want to plant species that require loose soil, you should first prepare it accordingly and loosen it well.
Dense soils also like:
- Beinwell (Symphytum)
- Broad plantain (Plantago major)
- Common couch grass (Elymus repens)
- Burdock bedstraw (Galium aparine)
- Löwenzahn (Taraxacum)
- Scharbockskraut (Ficaria verna)
- Sumpfziest (Stachys palustris)
- Meadow knotweed (Polygonum bistorta)
Indicator plants examples of nutrient-rich soils
Indicator plants not only indicate defects, but sometimes also indicate that everything in the soil is actually perfect. The following specimens are such signs:
What does chickweed indicate?
You can recognize chickweed by its white flowers and small leaves and you can usually find it in beds. Although it is pretty to look at and tasty and healthy, it is not a very welcome weed. But at least it shows them that the soil is of very good quality. Your flowers and vegetable plants will also feel comfortable.
The nettle as an indicator plant – undesirable but useful
This useful plant, which for many people is more of a weed that causes a lot of trouble in well-maintained beds, shows exactly that: that everything is fine with your soil. It is rich in all nutrients, especially nitrogen, and is also well loosened and humus. So before you fret about the nettle, give yourself a pat on the back because you did everything right. And besides, you canfor your healthand use those of the garden!
More nitrogen pointer plants:
- ground smoke (Fumaria officinalis)
- French herb (Galinsoga parviflora)
- Common mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris)
- shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris)
- Burdock bedstraw (Gallium aparine)
- Report (Atriplex patula)
- Black elderberry (Sambucus nigra)
- White goosefoot (Chenopodium album)
- meadow bear claw (Heracleum sphondylium)
- Meadow chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris)
These indicator plants indicate a nutrient deficiency
If plants are thriving at all, then that should mean that the soil is good, right? No, because there are robust plant species that can cope with deficiency or even need it. Your valuable vegetable plants and flowers, on the other hand, will not be able to grow well. So which indicator plants indicate nutrient deficiencies?
Daisies do well with few nutrients
Daisies appear gradually, especially on lawns. The reason is that the nutrients are slowly but surely running out. So you should definitely do something to give your lawn enough strength to grow. You can know how and when to fertilize it properlyin this articleread up.
Clover as an indicator plant for a lack of nutrients
White clover is often found in lawns and indicates a lack of nutrients. Of course, you can counteract this with the right amount of fertilizer. But clover is not just clover. Wood sorrel, for example, as the name suggests, has acidic soil with a lack of lime content.So you should lime.
The soil is also poor in nutrients:
- Adlerfarn (Pteridium aquiline)
- Fetthenne (Sedum)
- heather (Erica)
- bedstraw (The true Gaul)
- Löwenzahn (Taraxacum)
- Margerites (Leucanthemum)
- Sauerklee (Oxalis)
- Fescue (Festuca ovina)
- Steinbrech (Saxifrage)
- Thymian (Thymus vulgaris)
- Meadow sorrel (Rumex sorrel)
Determine acidity using indicator plants
While some plant species even like the soil to be slightly acidic, acidic soil indicator plants indicate that it is now too much of a good thing. Which are these?
Drahtschmiele means low-lime and acidic soil
If you find this specimen in your beds, it means that the soil lacks lime and nutrients. The plant grows, among other things, in coniferous forests, which are known to have acidic soil. Accordingly, this also seems to be the case in your garden bed.
Indicator plants in the garden – the broom heather (also called heather)
Another acid indicator is heather. No matter whether your soil is dry or moist, this plant will thrive especially when it is acidic, like in its beloved forests. If this is the case, it is recommended to balance the pH value with lime.
Other indicator plants for acidic soils:
- Adlerfarn (Pteridium aquiline)
- Bürstling (Nardus is tight)
- blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus)
- Dog Chamomile (Anthemis arvensis)
- Honiggras (A soft hulk)
- Small dock (Rumex acetosella)
- Sauerklee (Oxalis)
