Plants need nutrients
Like us, plants need nutrients in varying amounts for healthy growth. You'll find 17 important nourishment that every plants need, including carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, which plants receive from air and water. The remaining 14 are from soil but might have to be supplemented with fertilizers or organic materials like compost.
Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are expected in larger amounts than other nutrients; they may be considered primary macronutrients.
Secondary macronutrients include sulfur, calcium, and magnesium.
Micronutrients such as iron and copper are essential in more compact amounts.
Nutrient availability in soils
Nutrient availability in soils is a function of several factors including soil texture (loam, loamy sand, silt loam), organic matter content and pH.
Texture
Clay particles and organic matter in soils are chemically reactive and can hold and slowly release nutrient ions which you can use by plants.
Soils which might be finer-textured (more clay) and higher in organic matter (5-10%) have greater nutrient-holding ability than sandy soils with little or no clay or organic matter. Sandy soils in Minnesota are also prone to nutrient losses through leaching, as water carries nutrients for example nitrogen, potassium or sulfur below the root zone where plants cannot access them.
pH
Soil pH could be the degree of alkalinity or acidity of soils. When pH is not high enough or excessive, chemical reactions can adjust the nutrient availability and biological activity in soils. Most vegatables and fruits grow best when soil pH is slightly acidic to neutral, or between 5.5 and 7.0.
There are a few exceptions; blueberries, as an example, need a low pH (4.2-5.2). Soil pH can be modified using materials like lime (ground limestone) to increase pH or elemental sulfur to lessen pH.
Nutrient availability
Normally, most Minnesota soils have sufficient calcium, magnesium, sulfur and micronutrients to guide healthy plant growth. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium are the nutrients most likely to be deficient and should be supplemented with fertilizers for optimal plant growth.
The most effective way for assessing nutrient availability with your garden is to perform a soil test. An elementary soil test from the University of Minnesota’s Soil Testing Laboratory gives a soil texture estimate, organic matter content (employed to estimate nitrogen availability), phosphorus, potassium, pH and lime requirement.
The analysis will also have a basic interpretation of results and provide tips for fertilizing.
Choosing fertilizers
There are lots of choices for fertilizers and often your choices might appear overwhelming. The most important thing to consider is the fact that plants use up nutrients as ions, along with the source of those ions isn't a take into account plant nutrition.
As an example, plants get nitrogen via NO3- (nitrate) or NH4+ (ammonium), and those ions can come from either organic or synthetic sources along with various formulations (liquid, granular, pellets or compost).
The fertilizer you ultimately choose needs to be based mainly on soil test results and plant needs, in both relation to its nutrients and speed of delivery.
Variables to consider include soil and environmental health as well as your budget.
Common nutrient issues in vegetables
Diagnosing nutrient deficiencies or excesses in vegetables and fruit is challenging. Many nutrient issues look alike, often several nutrient is involved, and also the reasons behind them might be highly variable.
Here are some examples of issues you may see in the garden.
Plants lacking nitrogen can have yellowing on older, lower leaves; excessive nitrogen can cause excessive leafy growth and delayed fruiting.
Plants lacking phosphorus may show stunted growth or possibly a reddish-purple tint in leaf tissue.
A potassium deficiency can cause browning of leaf tissue across the leaf edges, beginning with lower, older leaves.
A calcium deficiency usually leads to “tip burn” on younger leaves or blossom end rot in tomatoes or zucchini. However, calcium deficiencies in many cases are not really a results of low calcium in the soil, but you are due to uneven watering, excessive soil moisture, or harm to roots.
Insufficient sulfur on sandy soils could cause stunted, spindly growth and yellowing leaves; potatoes, onions, corn and plants inside the cabbage family are generally most sensitive.
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