This study addressed the issues of low nutrient storage capacity, low base saturation, and nutrient imbalance in red soil. Using materials including calcium-based bentonite, weathered lignite, organic fertilizer, magnesium sulfate heptahydrate, calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer, and potassium sulfate, an experiment on soil storage capacity expansion and soil cation balance regulation was conducted to investigate the effects of the above materials on soil cation exchange capacity (CEC), cation balance, and maize growth. Results showed that, calcium-based bentonite, weathered lignite, and organic fertilizer all enhanced soil CEC. The combined treatment of bentonite + weathered lignite + organic fertilizer (BWO) achieved a CEC of 8.70 cmol/kg, increased by 72.96% compared to the control (CK) (P<0.05). Based on soil nutrient capacity improvement, the cation balance regulation treatment (BWO1, BWO+magnesium sulfate heptahydrate+calcium magnesium phosphate fertilizer+potassium sulfate) significantly promoted maize above-ground growth, with plant height, stem diameter, and biomass increased by 55.5%、80.0% and 152.7%, respectively compared to CK (P<0.05). It also enhanced root system development, demonstrating significant increases in total root length (147.0%), total root volume (425.0%), root surface area (234.3%), average root diameter (50.0%), root tip number (101.6%), and branch number (134.3%) compared to CK (P<0.05). The findings indicated that these materials can effectively improve the nutrient storage capacity and cation balance of red soil, thereby enhancing maize nutrient use efficiency and overall growth development.