What is in a plant’s diet? (4/4): The basics of nutrient management

What is in a plant’s diet? (4/4): The basics of nutrient management

In past articles of this series we have covered with certain detail the thirteen micro and macronutrients that all plants need to survive and grow, as well as some traditional (inorganic and organic) methods of adding nutrition to the soil.

The answer to this lies in taking notice of other factors behind the measurable presence of nutrients in the soil. If a landscape is always in need of repeated fertilization to remain productive it is already in a very precarious state, in which most of the fertilizers are probably consumed during a growing season and the soil is, otherwise, inhospitable if not intensively managed.

All of the nutrients that we have talked about become more or less available according to the acidity or alkalinity of a soil. Soils which are more acidic have less availability of calcium (Ca) and magnesium (Mg), because these chemical compounds become less mobile and plants have more difficulty absorbing them. At the same time, iron (Fe), manganese (Mn) and zinc (Zn) become far more mobile and available to plants, while phosphorus (P) becomes more available at first and later is almost completely immobilized.

An increase in alkalinity (that is, an increase in pH levels) reverses these processes.

Water content of the soil is another major component, simply because it makes every chemical substance within the soil more soluble. Even though plants use water for other purposes as well beyond nutrient absorption, if we focus only on soil fertility it is, by itself, evident that constant presence of ideal water levels is essential for plants to actually be able to access the nutrients present in the soil

Improving these two conditions passes as well through managing other chemical, physical and biological conditions of the soil, so keep an eye in our blog for future articles on those subjects. In the meantime, happy growing!

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