Plant fertilizers: importance of micronutrients
Health FitnessEven if you haven’t grown plants or maintained your home garden for a long time, chances are you’ve still heard of macronutrients. The most important are, of course, NPK or Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium. These are the building blocks that you build your garden on, but they are not the “beginning and end” when it comes to plant nutrition. You also need to know your micronutrients!
The essential plant micronutrients are boron (B), chloride (Cl), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu) and molybdenum (Mo).
Although they are not required in such large amounts as macronutrients, they still play an incredibly important role in plant growth and development. They also develop a plant’s ability to fight pests and diseases that plague most home gardens.
Let’s take a look at how they help the plant by taking each micronutrient individually.
one) Boron (B)
Do you live in a region with a lot of rain and sandy soil? Haven’t checked the pH balance of your soil and think it may be too acidic? Well, if your plants show stunted growth or hollow stems and fruits, your soil is definitely lacking in boron!
Boron helps in the formation of the cell wall, which ensures the growth and development of plants. Processes such as pollen formation, germination, and flower retention also require boron.
two) Chloride (Cl)
Chloride assists in a little-known but incredibly important plant function; regulates the opening of the stomata. Through this, it affects some results, the most significant being the loss of water from the plant. The stoma is an opening in the surface of the leaves through which evaporation occurs. The presence of chloride makes it regulated so that the plant does not dry out.
But in its absence, you will see wilted, spreading roots struggling to find water to compensate.
3) Manganese (Mn)
Necessary for the most important process of all, photosynthesis! Manganese helps in the metabolic processes of the plant, forming the necessary compounds for metabolism to take place. If your soil is lacking in manganese, you will see the effect on the leaves as they develop brown / white / gray spots that indicate decay. You will also notice a higher rate of leaf drop and a delay in maturity.
4) Iron (Fe)
Not only humans, but plants need iron too! It is a cog in many plant processes, including but not limited to energy transfer, chlorophyll production, nitrogen fixation, and acts as a catalyst to accelerate energy-producing chemical reactions. If the leaves of your houseplant turn yellow, then they lack the required iron content.
5) Zinc (Zn)
Plants need a constant supply of zinc to show the most optimal growth, especially in the early stages, that is, germination. Zinc also aids in the development of enzymes that regulate growth, produce energy, and synthesize all essential plant proteins. Lack of zinc means growth retardation.
6) Copper (Cu)
The presence of copper helps to strengthen the cell wall structures of the plant by synthesizing lignin, which also reduces the chances of wilting. It is also a necessary component of nitrogen and carbohydrate metabolism. Pale green leaves and stem dieback are symptoms of copper deficiency.
7) Molybdenum (Mo)
Molybdenum makes its presence felt in the pollen formation process, which then affects fruit and grain production. It initiates enzyme systems that are related to nitrogen fixation in vegetables so that symbiotic bacteria can grow easily. However, the molybdenum requirements are usually low, so most plants do not have any deficiencies in molybdenum.
Now that you know these essential elements, start analyzing your soil for deficiencies and help your plant grow long and healthy.