Plant Nutrients – Substances that are primary
(macro) and secondary requirements for growth
and development of plants.
Macronutrient plants get from air and water:
____carbon____, ______oxygen,
______hydrogen
Macronutrients plants get from the soil:
Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorus (P)
Potassium (K)
Secondary nutrients found in the soil:
_____calcium_______magnesium______sulfur
Nitrogen (N)
most important nutrient
required for proper growth and _green color
of stems and leaves
determines _____fruit size
- comes from organic matter (__humus___)
(nitrogen cycle)
- lack of nitrogen results in _slow growth and
yellow leaves
- too much nitrogen creates __weak stems and
plants are more susceptible to
____disease___________
- too much nitrogen in food can cause nitrogen
_____poisoning_______ in animals (cattle)
Lacking:
Too Much: Leaf Growth, but Weak Stems
Phosphorus (P)
necessary for _root, _flower_ and ____seed_
development
found only in certain rocks and may become
_limited_
lack of phosphorus causes slow growth and
purple leaves
Potassium (K)
necessary for the development of ___strong
stems____ and resistance to disease
needed for the development and ripening of
fruit_
found in many _rocks_ so the supply is less
limited than phosphorus
lack of potassium causes __browning of leaf
edges__
pH
the measure of _acidity_ and alkalinity_ of a
soil – extremely important
if the ph is too acidic or basic for a plant,
nutrients will not be _absorbed_ by the roots
most plants prefer 6.0 – 7.0
Fertilizer – any substance added to the soil to
supply plants with nutrients.
Two types – _synthetic__(man-made) or
_organic_ (found naturally) – (see fertilizer lab.)
Each has their advantages (pages 244 – 247
Environmental text)
List advantages of each
_______Synthetic___________________Organi
c_____