Soil Nutrients and

Fertilizers

24.00: Explain the role of nutrients in

quality plant growth
 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

Non-mineral Secondary Nutrients

elements calcium (Ca)
carbon (C) magnesium (Mg)
hydrogen (H) sulfur (S)
oxygen (O)
Primary Nutrients
Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorus (P)
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
 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
 Iron

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

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

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

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

Functions
plant metabolism
nitrogen transformation
Deficiency symptoms
interveinal chlorosis
young leaves die
Manganese Deficiency
 Molybdenum

Functions
plant development
reproduction
Deficiency symptoms
stunted growth
yellow leaves, upward curling leaves, leaf
margins burn
Molybdenum Deficiency
 Chlorine

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
 Types of Fertilizers

Complete
Incomplete
Organic
Inorganic
Soluble
Insoluble
 Complete vs. Incomplete

Complete has all three primary

nutrients-nitrogen phosphorous &
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
Sidedressing
Topdressing
Perforating
Broadcasting
Foliar spraying
Fertigation
 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