Soil Nutrients and

Fertilizers
Standard 6.0
Explain the role of nutrients and
fertilizers.
Objective 6.01

Discuss macro and micro nutrients and

the role they play in plant deficiencies.
 Nutrients
Elements needed by a
plant to promote healthy
tissue, processes, and
growth.
 Deficiency
When plants are lacking the nutrients
needed.
Symptoms include:
Stunted appearance
Pale green or yellow appearance (chlorosis)
may develop initially, but coloring can be
related to the nutrient lacking
General appearance of being unhealthy
 Macro vs Micro
Nutrients
Macro nutrients are required by the
plant in relatively large amounts
Micro nutrients are required only in
small amounts
minor or trace elements
 Macro
nutrients
Primary Secondary Nutrients
Nutrients Calcium (Ca)
Nitrogen (N) Magnesium (Mg)
Phosphorus (P) Sulfur (S)

Potassium (K)
 Micro
nutrients
Iron (Fe)
Copper (Cu)
Zinc (Zn)
Boron (B)
Molybdenum (Mo)
Manganese (Mn)
Chlorine (Cl)
 Functions of
Nitrogen
Promotes growth of leaves and
stems
Gives dark green color and
improves quality of foliage
Necessary to develop cell proteins
and chlorophyll
 Nitrogen
Deficiency symptoms
sick, yellow-green color
short stems, small leaves, pale
colored leaves and flowers
slow and dwarfed plant growth
Nitrogen deficiency
 Functions of
Phosphorus
Stimulates early formation and growth of
roots
Provides for fast and vigorous growth
and speeds maturity
Stimulates flowering and seed
development
Necessary for the enzyme action of many
plant processes
 Phosphorus
Deficiency symptoms
decrease in growth
slow maturity
older leaves are purplish
color
Phosphorus Deficiency
 Functions of
Potassium
Used to form carbohydrates
and proteins
Formation and transfer of
starches, sugars and oils
Increases disease resistance,
vigor and hardiness
 Potassium
Deficiency symptoms
mottled, spotted, streaked
or curled leaves
scorched, burned, dead leaf
tips and margins
Potassium
Deficiency
 Secondary
Nutrients
Calcium (Ca)
Magnesium (Mg)
Sulfur (S)
 Functions of
Calcium
Improves plant vigor
Influences intake and
synthesis of other plant
nutrients
Important part of cell walls
 Calcium
Deficiency symptoms
small developing leaves
wrinkled older leaves
dead stem tips
 Calcium
Deficiency
 Functions of
Magnesium
Influences the intake of
other essential nutrients
Helps make fats
Assists in translocation of
phosphorus and fats
 Magnesium
Deficiency symptoms
Interveinal chlorosis-
yellowing of leaves between
green veins
leaf tips curl or cup upward
slender, weak stalks
Magnesium
Deficiency
 Functions of
Sulfur
Promotes root growth and
vigorous vegetative growth
Essential to protein formation
 Sulfur
Deficiency symptoms
young leaves are light
green with lighter color
veins
yellow leaves and stunted
growth
 Sulfur
Deficiency
 Micro
Nutrients
Also called trace
elements
Needed by plants in small
amounts
 Iron (Fe)
Functions of Iron
Essential for chlorophyll production
Helps carry electrons to mix oxygen with
other elements
Deficiency symptoms
mottled and interveinal chlorosis in young
leaves
stunted growth and slender, short stems
Iron Deficiency
 Copper (Cu)
Functions
Helps in the use of Iron
Helps respiration
Deficiency symptoms
young leaves are small and permanently
wilt
multiple buds at stem tip
 Copper
Deficiency
 Zinc (Zn)
Functions
plant metabolism
helps form growth hormones
reproduction
Deficiency symptoms
retarded growth between nodes (rosetted)
new leaves are thick and small
spotted between veins, discolored veins
Zinc Deficiency
 Boron (B)
Functions
affects water absorption by roots
translocation of sugars
Deficiency Symptoms
short, thick stem tips
young leaves of terminal buds are light green
at base
leaves become twisted and die
 Boron
Deficiency
 Manganese
(Mn)
Functions
plant metabolism
nitrogen transformation
Deficiency symptoms
interveinal chlorosis
young leaves die
Manganese
Deficiency
 Molybdenum
(Mo)
Functions
plant development
reproduction
Deficiency symptoms
stunted growth
yellow leaves, upward curling leaves,
leaf margins burn
Molybdenum
Deficiency
 Chlorine (Cl)
Functions
essential to some plant processes
acts in enzyme systems
Deficiency symptoms
usually more problems with too much
chlorine or toxicity than with
deficiency
 Chlorine
Deficiency
Fertilizers
Objective 6.02
Discuss the advantages
and disadvantages of
various fertilizers.
 Types of
Fertilizers
Complete
Incomplete
Organic
Inorganic
Soluble
Insoluble
 Complete vs.
Incomplete
Complete has all three primary
nutrients:
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
Examples: 10-10-10, 15-30-15, 20-5-20
Incomplete DOES NOT have all
three primary nutrients
Examples: 20-0-0, 0-20-0, 12-0-44
 Organic
Fertilizers
Comes from plant or animal matter and
contains carbon compounds
Examples: urea, sludge and animal
tankage
 Advantages of
Organic
Slow release of nutrients
Not easily leached from the soil
Add organic components to
growing media
 Disadvantages
of Organic
Hard to get
Not sterile
Low nutrient content
Expensive
 Inorganic
Fertilizers
Comes from sources other than
animals or plants
Chemical products
 Advantages of
Inorganic
Can make the desired ratio of
nutrients
easy to get
lower cost
 Disadvantages
of Inorganic
No organic material
possible chemical building up in
growing media
 Soluble
Fertilizer
Dissolve in water and are applied
as a liquid solution
Fertigation
fertilizing through irrigation
water
big advantage
 Insoluble
Fertilizer
Includes granular and slow
release applied to the growing
media
 Granular vs.
Slow Release
Granular
relatively inexpensive
easy to find
Slow Release
more expensive because it is coated
more uniform release of nutrients over time
period
 Fertilizer
Analysis
Fertilizer analysis expresses weight as a
percent of nitrogen, phosphorus and
potassium

20-10-20
 Fertilizer
Analysis
For Example
A 100 pound bag of fertilizer has an
analysis of 15-5-15. How many pounds
of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium
are in the bag?
Nitrogen: 100lbs X 15%=15lbs
Phosphorus: 100lbs X 5%=5lbs
Potassium: 100lbs X 15%=15lbs
 Fertilizer
Ratios
A fertilizer with a 10-10-10 analysis
would have a 1:1:1 ratio
A fertilizer with a 24-8-16 analysis
would have a 3:1:2 ratio
What would be the ratio for a fertilizer
with an analysis of 36-18-27?

4:2:3
 Application
Procedures
Banding Assignment:
Sidedressing Work with your group
to define the fertilizer
Topdressing application method
you are assigned.
Perforating Only visual images
may be used
Broadcasting
Save a copy of your
Foliar spraying picture to your
network space
Fertigation Be prepared to
explain your pictures
 Banding
Placing a band of fertilizer about two
inches to the sides and about two inches
below seed depth.
DO NOT place below the seeds because
fertilizer will burn the roots.
 Sidedressing
Placing a band of fertilizer near
the soil surface and to the sides
after seedlings emerge from the
soil.
 Topdressing
Mixing fertilizer uniformly into the
top one to two inches of growing
media around the plant.
 Perforating
Placing fertilizer in 12-18 holes
drilled 18 to 24 around the
canopy drip line of fruit trees.
Cover the holes and fertilizer
slowly dissolves.
 Broadcasting
Spreading fertilizer to cover the
entire production area
Foliar Spraying
Spraying micronutrients in a
solution directly on plant leaves.
Quickly corrects nutrient
deficiencies
Fertilizer concentration should not
be too high or leaf burning will
occur.
 Fertigation
Incorporating water-soluble fertilizer
into the irrigation system of greenhouse
and nursery crops.
Concentrated solutions usually pass
through proportioners or injectors to
dilute to the correct ratio.
Venturi-type
Positive-displacement
 Venturi-type
Simple and inexpensive
less accurate
depends on water pressure in the hose
and in the smaller tube to proportion
Example: Hozon
 Positive-
displacement
More expensive
very accurate
physically inject and mix specific
amounts of concentrated solution and
water
Examples: commander proportioners,
and Smith injectors
 Rules for applying
fertilizers
Method used should be practical,
effective and cost efficient
Method used affects nutrient
availability for plant use
Fertilizer must be dissolved and
reach plant roots