Plant nutrients - Why is it important?
Did you know? Even plants need nutrition, just like us humans. And it can be very easy to understand the plant's nutrient requirements. Let’s scroll down and find out more.
To break it down, 17 types of nutrients are needed for a healthy and balanced plant growth. Out of these 17 nutrients, three are considered to be macronutrients which are nitrogen (N), potassium (K) and phosphorous (P) namely: Let’s understand our NPK!
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a nutrient that we all might have heard of. If not, even better. We will learn fresh. Nitrogen plays the most important role in plants because it imparts dark green colour in plants and forms the building block of plant proteins and enzymes. It also stimulates root growth.
Nitrogen deficiency in plant can make it look pale to yellowish green. In some cases, we can also see appearance of red and purple spots on the leaves which can restrict lateral bud growth.
Phosphorus
The second important nutrient which is Phosphorus and it is involved in several key plant functions including energy transfer, photosynthesis, transfer of sugar and starch and nutrition movement in plants.
Lack of phosphorous in plants may result in an abnormal dark-green colour in both the leaves and stems of the plant. An important thing to keep in mind is that the older leaves may get affected first and may acquire a purple discoloration.
Potassium
The third important nutrient is Potassium and again contributes to a plants health hugely. It is associated with the movement of water, nutrients, and carbohydrates in plant tissues. It also helps regulate the exchange of water vapour, oxygen and carbon dioxide.
Lack of potassium can lead to poor growth in plants and affect the root formation. It can also result in weak stem and stalks in plants. The edges of older plant leaves may appear "burned", as potassium deficient plants cannot regulate and use water efficiently.
Now that we have understood the role of NPK in plants growth, let us make sure that we provide our green babies with a balanced dose of NPK for their good growth, lush foliage and health and happiness.
