Questions about red soil

Hi , i'm in The peruvian jungle looking for land to start a permacultural proyect. I found some places with black soil and some places with red soil. Locals use to Say that red soil is not very good as black soil.
What do You think about getting a land with red soil and work on it? Is it worth?  Is it possible to improve red soil and convert it black and how many years would that take ? Why does some parts of The jungle have red soil?

Do You think it's a good idea to get red soil land or should i look for only black soil? Any ideas?

Ronaldo, I don't think it is as easy as saying black soil is better than red soil.

From what I have read black soil comes from organic matter and red comes from iron and aluminium oxides.  Does this make red soil bad? I am not sure.

What plants are growing in red soil?  Are there farms that produce well?

How much rainfall does the red soil get vs the black soil?

Are there statistic for farming in those area?

The problem with “is it worth it” questions is that much depends upon the person asking the question.  I have seen successful gardens grown in all sorts or soil.  Yes, you can improve the soil. As to how much you can improve it and how soon you can improve it  ….that depends upon your resources.

Then there is the huge related point that Anne raised.  How much do to need to improve it to grow the plants you wish to grow?   For a start, do some soil testing and develop a list of the plants you wish to grow.

Locals use red soil to grow yuca (Manihot esculenta) and pineapple and citrus plants. They Say those grow fine, but other fruit plants doesnt grow fine.

So what do You think? Do You think is possible to improve The soil in orden to plant other fruit plants?


Here it rain a Lot. Both black and red soil receive a Lot of rainfall.

The statistics i don't think so .

Anne Miller wrote:Ronaldo, I don't think it is as easy as saying black soil is better than red soil.

From what I have read black soil comes from organic matter and red comes from iron and aluminium oxides.  Does this make red soil bad? I am not sure.

What plants are growing in red soil?  Are there farms that produce well?

How much rainfall does the red soil get vs the black soil?

Are there statistic for farming in those area?

Ronaldo, yes I believe that the soil can be improved to grow other plants.

We use raised beds to improve our garden because our soil is caliche which is basically ground limestone.

In my area, there have been permaculture projects though this takes studying the land and learning how to make it work.

As John suggested have the soil tested to see what you are dealing with.