Plants’ Essential Elements Macro and Micronutrients

Nutrients  Are elements needed by a plant to promote healthy tissue, processes, and growth.  When plants are lacking in nutrients have a deficiency and may have a number of symptoms:  I. They will have a stunted appearance,  II. Pale green or yellow color ( chlorosis ) may develop initially, but coloring can be related to the nutrient that is lacking  III. A general appearance of being unhealthy.

Macro-Nutrients  I. Macronutrients include three primary elements and three secondary elements.  II. Three primary nutrients are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K).  III. Three secondary nutrients are Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) and Sulfur (S).

Macro: primary nutrients  Nitrogen (N)  Phosphorus (P)  Potassium (K)

Nitrogen  Promotes growth of leaves and stems  Gives dark green color and improves quality of foliage  Necessary to develop cell proteins and chlorophyll

Nitrogen  Deficiency noted when leaves are a sick, yellow-green color  Short stems, small leaves, pale colored leaves and flowers  Slow and dwarfed plant growth

Phosphorus  Stimulates early formation and growth of roots  Provides fast and vigorous growth and speeds maturity  Stimulates flowering and seed development

Phosphorus  Symptoms of deficiency include slow maturity  Older leaves are a purplish color  Decrease in growth

Potassium  Used to form carbohydrates and proteins  Formation and transfer of starches, sugars, and oils  Increases disease resistance, vigor, and hardiness

Potassium  Deficiency symptoms include mottled, spotted, streaked or curled leaves  Scorched, burned, dead leaf tips and margins

Macro: secondary nutrients  Calcium (Ca)  Magnesium (Mg)  Sulfur (S)

Calcium  Improves plant vigor  Influences intake and synthesis of other plant nutrients  Important part of cell walls

Calcium (C)  Symptoms of deficiency include small developing leaves, wrinkled older leaves  Dead stem tips

Magnesium (Mg)  Influences the intake of other essential nutrients  Helps make fats  Assists in translocation of phosphorus and fats

Magnesium  Deficiency symptoms include interveinal chlorosis-yellowing of leaves between green veins  Leaf tips curl or cup upward  Slender, weak stems

Sulfur (S)  Promotes root growth and vigorous vegetative growth  Essential to protein formation

Sulfur  Deficiency symptoms include young leaves are light green with lighter colored veins  Yellow leaves and stunted growth

Micronutrients  Iron (Fe)  Copper (Cu)  Zinc (Zn)  Boron (B)  Manganese (Mn)  Molybdenum (Mo)  Chlorine (Cl)

Iron (Fe)  Essential for chlorophyll production  Helps carry electrons to mix oxygen with other elements

Iron  Deficiency symptoms include mottled and interveinal chlorosis in young leaves  Stunted growth and slender, short stems

Copper (Cu)  Helps in the use of iron  Helps respiration

Copper  Deficiency symptoms include young leaves are small and permanently wilted  Multiple bud at stem tips

Zinc (Z)  Helps plant metabolism function  Helps form growth hormones  Aids in reproduction

Zinc  Deficiency includes retarded growth between nodes (rosetted)  New leaves are thick and small  Spotted between veins, discolored veins

Boron (B)  Affects water absorption by roots  Translocation of sugars

Boron  Deficiency symptoms include short, thick stem tips  Young leaves of terminal buds are light green at base  Leaves become twisted and die

Manganese (Mn)  Aids in plant metabolism  Helps in nitrogen transformation

Manganese (Mn)  Deficiency symptoms include interveinal chlorosis  Young leaves die

Molybdenum (Mo)  Aids in plant development  Reproduction

Molybdenum  Deficiency symptoms include stunted growth  Yellow leaves, upward curling leaves  Leaf margin burn

Chlorine (C)  Essential to some plant processes  Acts in enzyme systems

Chlorine  Usually there are more problems with too much chlorine or toxicity than with deficiency

Macro and Micro Nutrients  Remember:  C Ca Fe HOPKiNS Managed By My Cuzin MoCo ClZn  Coloring in the Periodic Table:  Non-Mineral Elements (Red)  Primary (Green)  Secondary (Purple)  Micronutrients (Orange)