Interpretation of indicator plants

Pointer plants are so called because they provide information about the soil on which they grow. Here is an overview of the different features.

Indicator plants are various plants that only thrive on very specific soils. So they have high to very high demands on their location and the soil conditions there. What seems difficult at first is a great advantage for the gardener. He can use the indicator plants to derive what soil conditions prevail in his garden and thus adapt certain work steps.

Classic Indicator Plant Categorization

The individual categories of indicator plants are named according to the soil conditions or the prevailing light conditions.

Acid indicator (acidic soil)

Heather - © alisseja - Fotolia.com

Blueberry - © Kaspars Grinvalds - Fotolia.com

Sundew - © Michael Tieck - Fotolia.com

Cranberry - © garmoncheg - Fotolia.com

Hasenklee - © mia33 - Fotolia.com

Daisies - © Floydine - Fotolia.com

If sundews, lingonberries or daisies grow very well, this is a sign of very acidic soil.

Calc pointer (calcareous soil)

Larkspur - © Krawczyk-Foto - Fotolia.com

Pasque Flower - © Andrea Geiss -Fotolia.com

Adonis - © usankova312 - Fotolia.com

Stinging Nettle - © Bits and Splits - Fotolia.com

marigold - © pisotckii - Fotolia.com

You can recognize calcareous soil when there are a lot of stinging nettles in your garden.

Lime indicator (low-lime soil)

Pansies - © anjokan - Fotolia.com

Speedwell - © emer - Fotolia.com

Dog Chamomile - © M. Schuppich - Fotolia.com

Horsetail - © katharinarau - Fotolia.com

Bracken - © carografie - Fotolia.com

Dog chamomiles and pansies are mostly found on lime-poor soil.

Dry pointer (dry floor)

Gransbill - © emer - Fotolia.com

Next to the cranesbilland to the rockrose, the dyer's chamomile is also an indication of dry soil.

Nitrogen indicator (nitrogen-rich soil)

French herb, dandelion and white deadnettle grow particularly well in nitrogen-rich soil.

The pointer plants and categories mentioned here are only examples. There are many indicator plants in nature that can help the gardener determine the soil. In addition to the specimens mentioned here, there are also indicator plants that indicate the following soil quality: