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)
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 of the development of ___strong stems____
and resistance to disease
- needed for the development and ripening of ruit_
- found in many _rocks_ so the supply is less limited
than phosphorus
- lack of potassium causes __browning of leave 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___________________Organic_____