Plant Nutrients

In previous work on soil it was seen that nutrients are added to help plants grow. This is what will be briefly studied now. At the end you should: Be able to discuss the different plant nutrients and why plants need them for growth.

What are plant nutrients? There are two types of plant nutrient major nutrient trace nutrients

Trace nutrients These are require in small quantities Examples include magnesium – to make chlorophyll iron – to help disease resistance

Major nutrients These are required in much larger quantities but it depends on the type of plant 3 major nutrients are: Nitrogen (N) for leaf growth Phosphorus (P) for root growth Potassium (K) for flower and fruit growth Nitrogen is essential for making all proteins

Fertilisers Fertilisers are chemicals that plant growers add to their plants to give them the nutrients they need to grow. They usually contain nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (NPK) A number is usually displayed on the bag to Indicate the ratio of the elements like 7:14:6 7% nitrogen, 14% phosphorus, 6% potassium

Examples of fertiliser chemical ratios Which part of the plant does this help grow the most? Which part of the plant does this help grow the most?

How fertilisers are applied They can be applied as granules, powder or liquid Granules People would use these mainly because they: are easy to apply break down slowly to release their minerals do not get blown away easily

How fertilisers are applied Liquids People would use these mainly because they: Are quick acting BUT they can easily and quickly get leached out of the soil

How fertilisers are applied Powders People would use these mainly because they: are quite quick acting easy to apply BUT they are quite easily blown away

Quiz Read the information sheet on fertilisers and answer the questions