Fertilizers & Nutrients

Essential Plant Nutrients

• Macronutrients
• Required in relatively large amounts.
• Micronutrients
• Required in small amounts.
• Minor or trace elements.
 Macronutrients

• Fall into one of three categories:

• Non-Mineral Elements
• Primary Nutrients
• Secondary Nutrients
 Non-Mineral Elements

• (C) Carbon
• (H) Hydrogen
• (O) Oxygen
 Primary Nutrients

• (N) Nitrogen
• (P) Phosphorus
• (K) Potassium
 Secondary Nutrients

• (Ca) Calcium
• (Mg) Magnesium
• (S) Sulfur
 Micronutrients

• (Fe) Iron • (Mo) Molybdenum

• (Cu) Copper • (Mn) Manganese
• (Zn) Zinc • (Cl) Chlorine
• (B) Boron
Function & Deficiency
Symptoms of
Nutrients
 Nitrogen

• Function
• 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.
 Phosphorus

• Functions
• Stimulates early formation & growth of
plants.
• Provides for fast & vigorous growth and
speeds maturity.
• Stimulates flowering & seed development.
• Necessary for the enzyme action of many
plant processes.
 Phosphorus

• Deficiency
Symptoms
• Decrease in growth.
• Slow maturity.
• Older leaves are
purplish color.
 Potassium

• Functions
• Used to form carbohydrates & proteins.
• Formation and transfer of starches, sugars,
& oils.
• Increases disease resistance, vigor, &
hardiness.
 Potassium

• Deficiency
Symptoms
• Mottled, spotted,
streaked or curled
leaves.
• Scorches, burned,
dead leaf tips &
margins.
 Calcium

• Functions
• Improves plant vigor.
• Influences intake & synthesis of other plant
nutrients.
• Important part of cell walls.
 Calcium

• Deficiency
Symptoms
• Small developing
leaves, wrinkled
older leaves.
• Dead stem tips.
 Magnesium

• Functions
• Influence the intake of other essential
nutrients.
• Helps make fats.
• Assists in translocation of phosphorus &
fats.
 Magnesium

• Deficiency Symptoms
• Interveinal chlorosis.
• (Yellowing of leaves
between green veins)
• Leaf tips curl or cup
upward.
• Slender, weak stems.
 Sulfur

• Functions
• 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.
 Iron

• Functions
• Essential for chlorophyll production.
• Helps carry electrons to mix oxygen with
other elements.
 Iron

• Deficiency Symptoms
• Mottled & interveinal
chlorosis in young
leaves.
• Stunted growth &
slender, short leaves.
 Copper

• Functions
• Helps in the use of iron.
• Helps respiration.
 Copper

• Deficiency
Symptoms
• Young leaves are
small and
permanently wilt.
• Multiple buds at
stem tips.
 Zinc

• Functions
• Plant metabolism.
• Helps form growth hormones.
• Reproduction.
 Zinc

• Deficiency Symptoms
• Retarded growth between nodes (rosetted)
• New leaves are thick & small.
• Spotted between veins, discolored veins.
 Boron

• Functions
• Affects water absorption by roots.
• Translocation of sugars.
 Boron

• Deficiency
Symptoms
• Short, thick stems
tips.
• Young leaves of
terminal buds are
light green at base.
• Leaves become
twisted & die.
 Manganese

• Functions
• Plant metabolism.
• Nitrogen transformation.
 Manganese

• Deficiency Symptoms
• Interveinal chlorosis.
• Young leaves die.
 Molybdenum

• Functions
• Plant development.
• Reproduction.
 Molybdenum

• Deficiency Symptoms
• Stunted growth.
• Yellow leaves, upward curling leaves,
& leaf margins burn.
 Chlorine

• Functions
• Essential to some plant processes.
• Acts in enzyme systems.
 Chlorine

• Deficiency Symptoms
• Usually more problems with too much
chlorine or toxicity than with deficiency.

CHLORINE TOXICITY
Types of Fertilizers
 Complete vs. Incomplete

• Complete Fertilizers
• Contain all 3 primary nutrients of
nitrogen, phosphorus, & potassium.
• Examples:
• 10-10-10
• 15-30-15
• 20-5-20
 Complete vs. Incomplete

• Incomplete Fertilizers
• DO NOT have all 3
primary nutrients.
• Examples:
• 20-0-0
• 0-20-0
• 12-0-44
 Organic vs. Inorganic

• Organic Fertilizers
• Come from plant or animal matter &
contain carbon compounds.
• Examples:
• Urea
• Sludge
• Animal Tankage
 Organic vs. Inorganic

• Advantages of
Organic Fertilizers
• Slow release of
nutrients.
• Not easily leached
from soil.
• Add organic
components to
growing media.
 Organic vs. Inorganic

• Disadvantages of Organic Fertilizers

• Hard to get.
• Expensive.
• Not sterile.
• Low nutrient content.
 Organic vs. Inorganic

• Inorganic Fertilizers
• Come from sources
other than animals
or plants….
• Chemical products.
 Organic vs. Inorganic

• Advantages of Inorganic Fertilizers

• Can make desired ratio of nutrients.
• Lower cost.
• Easy to get
 Organic vs. Inorganic

• Disadvantages of
Inorganic Fertilizers
• No organic material.
• Possible chemical
building up in
growing media.
 Soluble vs. Insoluble

• Soluble Fertilizer
• Dissolves in water & are applied as a
liquid solution.
• Advantages
• Can fertilizer through the irrigation
water in a process called fertigation.
 Soluble vs. Insoluble

• Insoluble Fertilizer
• Includes granular & slow release fertilizers
applied to the growing media.
 Soluble vs. Insoluble

• Granular Fertilizer
• Relatively inexpensive
• Easy to find
• Slow Release Fertilizer
• More expensive than granular
because it is coated.
• Gives a more uniform release of
nutrients over time period.
 Fertilizer Analysis & Ratio

• Analysis
• Expresses the percent by weight of
nitrogen, phosphorus, & potassium.
• Ratio
• Is a comparison of primary nutrients
• 10-10-10 = [Link]
• 24- 8 -16 = [Link]
Fertilizer Analysis
Choosing a Fertilizer
 Methods of
Applying Fertilizers
 General Rules

• Method used should be….

• Practical
• Effective
• Cost Efficient
• Method used affects nutrient availability
for plant use.
• Fertilizer must be dissolved and reach
plant roots.
 Banding

• Placing a band of
fertilizer about 2
inches to the sides &
about 2 inches
below seed depth.
• Do NOT place below
seeds because
fertilizer will burn
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 – 24”
around the canopy
drip line of fruit
trees.
• Cover the holes &
the fertilizer slowly
dissolves.
 Broadcasting

• Spreading fertilizer to cover the entire

production area.
 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.
 Types of Fertigation

• Venturi-Type
• Simple & inexpensive
• Less accurate
• Depends on water
pressure in the hose
& in the smaller tube
to proportion.
• Example:
• Hozon
 Types of Fertigation
• Positive-Displacement
• Physically inject & mix
specific amounts of
concentrated solution &
water.
• More expensive
• Very accurate
• Examples:
• Commander Proportioners
• Smith Injectors
 Foliar Spraying

• Spraying micronutrients in a solution

directly on the plant leaves.
• Used to quickly correct nutrient
deficiencies, but….
• If fertilizer concentration
is too high, leaf burning
will occur.