How are mineral ions transported into the root cells from the soil?

Mineral ions are transported into root cells by INDIRECT ACTIVE TRANSPORT/UPTAKE. First of all, hydrogen ions are pumped out of the root cells' vacuoles into the soil. This creates a concentration gradient between the internal environment of the root and the external environment (soil). It means now that the ion concentration in the soil is higher than in the root. Ions located in the soil now move along the concentration gradient, thus from place of higher concentration (soil) to the place of lower concentration (root).