How to treat saline soil naturally in the UAE

Saline soil causes leaf burn, poor germination and nutrient lock-up because excess salts pull water out of roots and block nutrient uptake. In the UAE, the natural fix is to leach salts where drainage allows, treat the soil with humic acids such as Evergreen Humus S-100 or Saprosoil, and rebuild organic matter with Eco-Premium — all from Al Ardh Alkhadra.

Signs of saline soil

• White salt crust on the soil surface or around emitters.
• Brown, burned leaf tips and edges that spread inward.
• Poor or patchy germination across salty spots.
• Stunted growth compared with the rest of the field.
• Plants wilt despite watering because roots cannot pull water from salty soil.

Why UAE soils become saline

Most UAE irrigation water carries some salts, and the hot climate evaporates water faster than it is applied, pulling dissolved salts up to the surface and the root zone. Poor drainage and very low rainfall mean those salts are rarely washed away, so they accumulate season after season.

Natural saline soil treatment program

1. Leach the salts. Where drainage allows, apply good-quality water in depth so salts move below the root zone.
2. Apply humic acids through irrigation. Use Evergreen Humus S-100 (75% humic acid, 6% potassium, dissolves up to 99.5%) or Saprosoil. Humic and fulvic acids buffer salinity, improve soil structure and help roots exclude salts.
3. Rebuild organic matter. Add Eco-Premium — 65% organic matter and free of salts — to improve water infiltration and raise the soil’s CEC, its nutrient-holding capacity.
4. Mulch the surface. Mulch slows evaporation so fewer salts are pulled back up into the root zone.
5. Avoid over-fertilizing. Fertilizer salts add to the salt load; correct any resulting deficiency with the UAE nutrient deficiency guide once the soil is being treated.