The soils of Kota are complex, highly variable, reflecting a variety of parent materials, physiographic land features, range of distribution of rainfall, and its effects etc. As such different soils create different types of habitat for plant growth, therefore, the true choice and afforestation patterns on such kind of soils vary greatly. Soils are thus, variable in their soil-water-plant relationship, conservation needs and production potentials.

The mantle of alluvium in this area is confined to the North Eastern sector. It is then on Sandstone plateaus, where over large spread of bare rock, it is practically absent. Usually it is light loam, more sandy over sandstone tracts, and more clayey upon the shales.

Black cotton is prevalent on the Deccan trap. It is also found in patches lying upon the older formations in places where, it is presumed, trap was present comparatively but has since been decomposed.

All over the forest area the soils are dry, impoverished, and deficient in humus. On the slopes the soil is sandy to sandy-loam, shallow and covered with stones and boulders and are reddish in colour. It is generally shallow with outcrops of parent rock. In depressions along nallah banks and in low-lying Babul-radis, the soil is clayey loam to clayey and is fairly deep.

The forest soils are locally classified as 'kaju' and 'naleiq' according to their fertility. The former constitute soils which can be brought under the plough while the latter constitute those which are unfit for cultivation. Except for certain grass birs and babul radis the kaju lands are not under forest cover.