Fertile alluvial soil with good water-holding capacity and moderate acidity ensures healthy rice plants and high yields.

• Rice likes soils that can hold water without losing it quickly. Clay loam and silt loam are ideal because they keep moisture, support strong roots, and allow puddling. Sandy soils can grow paddy, but they need more frequent irrigation and more organic matter to hold water. Very heavy clays can crack in summer; firm bunds and timely irrigation help manage that.
• Aim for a soil pH between 5.5 and 7.5. If your soil is acidic (low pH), apply lime as per a basic soil test. If it is alkaline or sodic, gypsum helps reclaim the structure. Zinc deficiency is common in rice fields, especially after puddling; apply zinc once you see pale new leaves or as per local advice. Add farmyard manure, compost, or green manure before puddling to build soil life and improve structure.
• Simple checks tell you a lot. Squeeze damp soil in your palm: if it forms a smooth ball that holds shape but breaks with a tap, it is close to loam. Push a stick into wet soil: if it sinks slowly and stands firm, the soil has good body for paddy. Fill a small tin with water and press it into the soil; if the water level drops very fast, the soil is too porous and needs more puddling or organic matter.
• Level the field well. High and low patches waste water and create uneven growth. Repair bunds so you can keep a shallow water layer when needed. Good inlets and outlets let you drain rainfall quickly or add water during dry spells. In reclaimed or coastal areas, check for salinity; rinse fields with fresh water before transplanting if EC is high, and pick salt-tolerant varieties if salinity persists.
• Do not over-till. Too many passes break soil into powder and create hard pans. Two to three well-timed tillage operations, plus puddling in monsoon rice, are enough in most fields. Return rice straw as compost if you can; it recycles nutrients and improves soil sponginess. Healthy soil holds water, feeds roots, and reduces input costs over time.

• Paddy is a warm-season crop

  It grows best when days are warm and nights are mild. For germination and early growth, temperatures around 25–35°C are comfortable. At tillering, steady warmth pushes new shoots. The most sensitive time is flowering; very high heat or sudden cold can reduce grain setting, so try to avoid these extremes during that stage.

• Even rainfall is more important than total rainfall

  Paddy can grow with less rain if you manage irrigation well, and it can still fail with high rain if floods linger. Plan fields so excess water can drain within a day or two, especially during flowering and grain filling. Where rains are irregular, use alternate wetting and drying: let water recede until fine cracks appear, then irrigate again.

• Humidity helps paddy, but can also invite disease

  Long spells of cloudy, wet weather may increase blast and bacterial blight. Keep spacing right for airflow, avoid heavy late nitrogen, and watch fields after a storm. Warm, still evenings are good for flowering; strong, hot winds at midday can cause sterility. If a heat wave is forecast during flowering, raise the water depth slightly and avoid field operations that stress the crop.

• ● Use simple tools to read your weather

  A basic rain gauge and a small notebook can guide irrigation timing. Check local farm advisories on your phone for warnings about heavy rain, heat, or pests. In flood-prone belts, choose submergence-tolerant varieties and plant on a schedule that avoids peak flood weeks. In drought-prone areas, prefer short-duration types and plan one assured irrigation around flowering.