Plant Nutrition
Plant nutrition!
Plants need all kinds of nutrition to grow effectively and just like a people a balanced diet provides the best performance, the best quality produce and the most resistant plants to stresses from pests, diseases, heat waves or water logging.
Nutrition is most commonly talked about as the elemental state which refers to the periodic table seen below. The periodic table to made up of all of the known atoms that we can measure in our known world which range to the smallest being hydrogen to the large atoms such as uranium.
Thankfully we do not need to remember all of these atoms! the most important ones are N: nitrogen, P: phosphorous, K: potassium, Ca: calcium, Mg: Magnesium, S: Sulphur, Mn : Manganese, Zn: Zinc, Cu: Copper, Fe: iron, B: Boron, Ni: Nickel, Mo: Molybdenum, and Si: silicon. These 13 nutrients are currently perceived as the most important nutrients for plants so far. The symbols of the nutrients and the periodic table may be daunting but trust me once you read the back of fertilizer packets a few times or the analysis of organic products you'll become familiar with the symbols and what they will mean when it comes to your plant's nutrition.
N for Nitrogen
You may have heard about Urea, nitrates, ammonium or liquid-N. These are all different forms of nitrogen that people use to fertilize their plants with to encourage growth, achieve bigger yields, taller plants, and bigger fruit. When urea was first synthesized for fertilizer it allowed farmers to achieve astounding yields. Nitrogen is the most commonly talked about fertilizer and can sound great but there is always a catch! And that is from applying too much which can kill your plants or reduce the quality of your produce, in tomatoes excess nitrogen will cause the inside to be incredibly watery, hollow and decay much faster once picked from the vine. Nitrogen, once applied to the soil is very mobile which can mean it is very accessible to plants but if a heavy rain occurs can result in the loss of all your nitrogen due to leeching or runoff.
P for Phosphorous
At the beginning of a plants life, the requirement for phosphorous is at its greatest. Phosphorous is used for growing roots and assists with plant establishment. Once a plant is grown out of its seedling stage much less phosphorous is needed to maintain good health. Phosphorous in the soil is not very mobile at all! so the plants roots need to locate the nutrient to take advantage of it.
K for Potassium
Potassium is used as much sometimes more so than nitrogen in agriculture, it is responsible for product quality and resilience to a lack of water. In the soil, it disperses and is mobile, as long as there is adequate potassium and moisture deficiencies should not occur.
Ca for Calcium
Lime and gypsum are common products the contain calcium and can breakdown in the soil to provide nutritional benefit. Often, calcium is forgotten about when it comes to nutritional requirements. Calcium is responsible for strong cell walls in plants and changes the properties of the soil to be more "loose". A soil lacking in calcium can have salinity issues and compaction under the surface. When calcium is not forgotten, it is sometimes applied in greater quantities than nitrogen! Lime is a great way to increase an acidic soil as well.
Mg for Magnesium
Photosynthesis is responsible for powering most plants in the long term. When a plant becomes deficient in magnesium the oldest leaves will turn yellow between the veins, the chloroplasts which were once green are now becoming yellow. Depending on which soil you have, only a small amount of magnesium is required and generally best applied in small quantities as large amounts can tighten the soil and reduce the ability of water infiltrating the soil.
S for Sulphur
Sulphur is applied to the soil as a sulphate ion (SO4-) not to be confused with the sulphur powder that is used as a fungicide on roses and organic farms. Sulphur is often applied with other nutrition such as nitrogen, potassium or calcium in forms such as ammonium sulphate, potassium sulphate or gypsum. sulphur is often supplied in small quantities unless cropping canola where large amounts of sulphur is often recommended.
Mn for Manganese
Manganese, often confused with magnesium but are two different nutrients. Organic growers will often never experience manganese deficiency as such a small amount is required in the soil (only 5mg/kg of soil) and more often than not, most organic material contains manganese and the other trace elements such as iron, zinc, nickel, copper, and boron. These trace elements are often overlooked by growers and usually get left out of a feeding program for plants, for those feeding themselves from their own garden this can be a concern.
Zn for Zinc
Australia experiences zinc deficiency the most out of most if not all countries in the world. This most likely means that if you're eating food from Australia, from the supermarkets or from your own veggie garden, you're most likely eating zinc deficient product, interesting right! But like manganese, zinc is required in only small amounts in the soil too (only 1mg/kg of soil!).
Iron (Fe), Copper (Cu), Molybdenum (Mo), and Boron (B)
Iron, Copper, Molybdenum and Boron are also provided in "trace" to plants and crops. Molybdenum is in such small concentrations in the soil that most laboratories do not have the capacity to measure such small quantities but just like nitrogen are just as important, with any of the trace elements your crop, plants, orchid, or veggie garden will not perform.
Ni for Nickel and Si for Silicon
Nickel and silicon are still being researched as to what role they play in plant health even though they are present in even smaller quantities! Both nutrients have been proven to be responsible for mechanisms in the plants health and are sure to reveal more.