Field guide
Something looks wrong in the field? Match it here — acid soil, salt, iron lock, waterlog. Lab-sheet words live under Reading the soil test.
Can’t read the lab sheet? Open Reading the soil testProblem
13 guides
One guide can sit in more than one group, so the chip counts add up to more than 100.
Cold water on seedlings: a stalled paddy is not always hungryShallow, warmer water, then add fertiliser.Waterlogging
Cold waterlogged fields, gleying: soil is cold, roots don’t growSoil stays cold and grey-blue, roots few. Raise the bed, drain, wait for warmth.Waterlogging
Southern paddy nutrients: the reduced layer locks what you appliedMid-season drain, place fertiliser where a root with air can reach it.Other
A high water table: the soil never dries, the root never goes deepRaise the bed, cut a drain that actually empties.Waterlogging
Drought flipping to flood: the root is hurt before the leaf yellowsWait for new white roots before a full dressing.Waterlogging
Paddy reduction: black, smelly roots, no new white tipsRoots black, a rotten smell, no new white tips. Mid-season drain, then shallow water.Waterlogging
Rice seedlings stall: acid, cold, toxins, burn — separate themWash the root, smell the mud, read pH. Rusty water, black roots, burned tips and cold mud are different jobs.Nutrient shortage
River-wetland soils: gleying is meaner than the surface looksDrain, ridge, don’t assume a dark colour is fertility.Waterlogging
Yellow maize seedlings: nitrogen, zinc, herbicide, waterlog — pick oneDon’t open the nitrogen bag until you know which yellow you have.Nutrient shortage
Waterlogging: wilt by day, wet soil, black rootsDrain first. Urea cannot enter a drowned root.Waterlogging
Rusty-water paddies: ferrous iron poisoningSeedlings yellow and stiff, roots coated rust, an oil film on the water. Drain and air, don’t chase N.Acid soil
After rain the surface caps and cracks: water runs off, seedlings stickA light hoe when it can crumble, mulch, organic matter. Don’t pulverise wet.Waterlogging
Yellow leaves: shortage, waterlog, spray injury or diseaseOld leaf vs new leaf, veins vs blade, a spray pattern vs a slow fade. Separate them before you open a bag.Nutrient shortage