Plant nutrients
Plants need 17 chemical elements to grow and reproduce, including carbon, oxygen, and hydrogen from the air, and other nutrients from the soil.
Macronutrients and micronutrients
The primary macronutrients are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, while the secondary macronutrients are calcium, manganese, and sulfur. Micronutrients include boron, copper, iron, chlorine, manganese, molybdenum, zinc, and nickel.
Nutrient absorption
Plants absorb nutrients through their roots, which have root hairs to increase the surface area for absorption. Nutrients are absorbed as ions in soil water.
Nutrient deficiencies
When plants don't get enough nutrients, they may exhibit symptoms like stunted growth, yellowing or browning leaves, poor fruit or seed production, and weak or brittle stems.
Fertilizers
Fertilizers are used to replenish nutrients in the soil that plants remove when harvested. Organic and mineral fertilizers can both be used, but mineral fertilizers offer a higher concentration of nutrients and are more immediately available.
Soil pH
Soil that is too alkaline or too acidic can make minerals unavailable to plants.
Heterotrophic nutrition
Some plants lack chlorophyll and rely on other plants for nourishment, a process called heterotrophic nutrition
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