Potassium in plants By: Leila Owens

Potassium Potassium is an element otherwise known as K. There is a lot of potassium in soil. There are also large amounts of potassium in fruits such as bananas and other foods like potatoes and squash. Potassium is an essential element, meaning that all plants need it to survive. Essential elements are also called nutrients.

Potassium in soil The average amount of potassium in soil is about 20,000ppm. Although this may seem like a lot not all of it is available for plants to consume. There are three type of potassium in soil, unavailable, slowly available and readily available.

The right amount of potassium Anywhere from 90-98% of the total amount of potassium in soil is unavailable. This means that only a small amount of potassium is actually available for plants to use. Potassium can change forms from slowly to readily available potassium when soil gets wet. The actual amount of potassium in plants can vary based on the plant. In potatoes there is 1,081mg of potassium while in avocadoes there is only 540mg. 18,000mg of potassium is considered too much for human consumption but there the levels vary for plants

Why plants need potassium Potassium is needed in plants because it helps to move water and other nutrients in plant tissue. A plant with sufficient potassium levels will be more resilient to drought. This is because plants can use the water they have more efficiently with enough potassium in them. This is similar to how a athlete will perform better with a sports drink (which contains potassium) than they would without. Potassium does not cure drought but makes plants more resilient. Without enough potassium plants growth will be stunted and crop yields will be reduced. The right amount of potassium van stimulate early growth, increase protein production, and improve plants resistance to diseases. The right amount of potassium in soil varies around the US but too much potassium can also be bad.

Plants without enough potassium

Other Options To prevent potassium deficiency there are many fertilizers you can buy that will contain potassium ready for plants to consume. Just look for potash fertilizer.