Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is the three primary nutrients that the plants requires to grow healthy. These nutrients is labelled as NPK on fertilizer products. These nutrients are essential for an plant to remain healthy.
If the plants dont receive enough of any of these three nutrient, then the plant will display the signs of a nutrient deficiency. Nitrogen promote the growth of the leafy vegetables that contain green foliage. Plants that contain nitrogen will grow protein and chlorophyll, which allow the plants to absorbing the sunlight.
How Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium Help Plants
If there is a lack of nitrogen in the soil, the plants will develop pale stem and thin leaves. The older leaves will start to turn yellow. An organic source of nitrogen is blood meal and feather meal.
Blood meal will add nitrogen quick to the soil. Feather meal will add the nutrient slow over several month. Use these nitrogen rich meals when growing leafy vegetables.
Phosphorus encourage the development of the roots of the plant and promotes the growth of flowers and fruit. This nutrient helps in the movement of energy from one plant cell to an other. This nutrient is essential for the plant to develop from a sprout to a flowering plant.
An organic source of phosphorus is bone meal and rock phosphate. Bone meal will add phosphorus slowly into the soil. Rock phosphate is another slow-release fertilizer that can add nutrients essential for the development of root.
Add phosphorus to the soil in advance of planting the seed. Potassium will regulate the movement of water within the plant system and strengthens the stems. This nutrient increase the plants ability to fight against drought and disease.
Additionally, the flavor of the plants fruits will improve, as will the shelf-life of the products. Sulfate of potash contains potassium but will not alter the pH of the soil. Wood ash will add potassium to the soil but will also increase the pH of the soil.
If there is a lack of potassium in the soil, the edges of the leaves may look scorched, and the fruits will be small in size. Balanced nutrient source, like compost and worm castings, allow for slow-release nutrients to the soil. The soil contain the microbes necessary to decompose the organic matter to create nutrients usable by the plants.
Fish emulsion can be sprayed direct on the leaves of the plants. Seabird guano is high in nutrients and does not contain synthetic chemical. Crab meal and shrimp meal contain organic matter and can fight against certain plant pest.
The gardener should add the nutrients at the appropriate time to encourage healthy plant growth. Add slow-release nutrients like greensand to the soil before adding the plants to the soil. Add nitrogen-rich meals during the peak growth phase of the plant.
However, reduce the amount of nitrogen when the plant is beginning to form flower. Adding too much nitrogen during the flowering phase will encourage the plant to develop many leaf but not flowers. Add compost during the dormant month of the plant to allow the soil to replenish nutrients for the next growing season.
Using a soil test will determine the levels of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium in the soil. Using a soil test will reveal if the pH of the soil is preventing the plant from absorbing these nutrient. Organic fertilizers will feed the microbes that live in the soil.
These soil microbes aid the soil in making the nutrients available to the plants. The type of fertilizer to use can be customized for the type of plant being grown. Leafy vegetable require more nitrogen than other plants.
Root vegetable will require more phosphorus. Fruit-bearing plants will require more potassium.