For successful fruit tree cultivation, the land should be deep, well-drained, loamy, and fertile. There should be no hard layer up to a depth of 2 meters. The water table should be deeper than 3 meters, and the land should be level without significant slopes or undulations.

Avoid planting fruit trees in saline, alkaline, or highly acidic soils.

The composition and condition of the subsoil layers play a vital role in the growth and productivity of fruit trees. Therefore, soil sampling should be done up to a depth of 2 meters before establishing the orchard. Follow the steps below for proper sampling:

1. Collect 500 grams of soil from each layer as follows:
– 0 to 15 cm (top layer)
– 15 to 30 cm
– 30 to 60 cm
– 60 to 90 cm
– 90 to 120 cm
– 120 to 150 cm
– 150 to 200 cm

Use an iron auger or digging tool to extract the samples.

2. If a hard or stony layer is found, note its thickness and depth, and collect a separate sample from that layer.
3. Label each sample with the corresponding depth and place it in a clean, separate cloth bag to prevent mixing.

Send the soil samples to the nearest soil testing laboratory or hand them over to a soil science expert at your district’s agricultural university for detailed analysis and recommendations.