Soil Types of the Rain Forests

• Rainforest's have a unique ecosystem in a unique environment. Stockbyte/Stockbyte/Getty Images

  Creating a rainforest environment in your garden requires some knowledge of the way the rainforest ecosystem works. Tropical jungles generally have very poor soil, as the plants and trees themselves hold a large percentage of the nutrients. Creating a home for these tropical plants can give you insight into how they have adapted to the unique environment of the rainforest.

Soil Composition

• Most of the world's rainforests have a very thin layer of top soil, sometimes only inches thick, that is very low in nutrients such as phosphorus, calcium and magnesium. Instead these soils have high concentrations of aluminum and iron oxide, turning the soil a red or yellow hue. Millions of years of extreme weather have washed away and eroded the nutrients in the soil.

Plant Nutrients

• With such nutrient-low soil, plants and trees have to look elsewhere in the rainforest for their survival. Decaying matter, such as leaves or dead wood, makes up a layer on top of the soil and gives the forest the nutrients it needs. Rainforest plants and trees are so effective at processing this decomposing organic material that it never reaches the soil and therefore cannot replenish the nutrients in the ground. Instead most of the nutrients found in the rainforest are in the plants, trees and decaying organic matter.

Tree and Plant Roots

• The poor soil in the rainforest does not give plants and trees incentive to dig their roots deep. Instead, these roots only reach as far as they need to in order to reach the layer of decaying material. Many trees have root layers that spread out over the rainforest floor like a carpet.

Your Garden

• To recreate a rainforest environment in your garden, you need to build layers similar to those in the natural world. Soil rich in clay as a ground level would be most appropriate. On top of that, cover the ground in a thick layer of mulch. This will simulate the rainforest environment as well as helping to keep the soil moist in a more temperate zone. Suitable mulch is a mixture of organic materials that contain the proper nutrients for your plants. Leaves, that have been allowed to rot for up to a year, are high in calcium and magnesium. A small amount of grass clippings increase the nitrogen level. Adding wood ash provides potassium, and a good source of manure will contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Major Tropical Rainforests

• The three major tropical rainforests in the world are in Africa, the Indo-Malayan region and the Neotropics. The rainforests of Africa do not contain the large variation of plant species present in other rainforests. These forests are in a somewhat dry area and endure hard changes between wet and dry seasons. Southeast Asian rainforests, in the Indo-Malayan region, have a humid and hot climate due to the generally high elevation of the area. The lowland forests in Malesia have the richest variety of flora of any rainforest. Central and South America contain the Neotropical forests, including Amazonia. These rainforests include highland areas as well as flood sections near the Amazon River. Neotropics are generally humid and hot, with some seasonally drier areas.