Fertilizers for plants: importance of micronutrients

Even if you haven’t been growing plants or maintaining your home garden for a long time, chances are you’ve still heard of macronutrients. The most important ones are of course NPK or Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Potassium. These are the building blocks you build your garden on, but they are not the ‘be all and end all’ when it comes to plant nutrition. You also need to know your micronutrients!

The essential micronutrients for plants are boron (B), chloride (Cl), manganese (Mn), iron (Fe), zinc (Zn), copper (Cu), and molybdenum (Mo).

Although 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 combat the pests and diseases that plague most home gardens.

Let’s take a look at how they help the plant by taking each micronutrient individually.

1) Boron (B)

Live in a region with high rainfall 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 fruit, then your soil is definitely lacking in boron!

Boron helps in the formation of the cell wall that ensures the growth and development of plants. Processes such as pollen formation, germination, and flower retention also require boron.

two) Chloride (Cl)

Chloride aids in a little-known but incredibly important function of the plant; regulates stomatal opening. Through this, it affects some results, the most significant being the loss of water from the plant. The stoma is an opening on the leaf surface through which evaporation takes place. The presence of chloride causes it to be regulated so that the plant does not dry out.

But in its absence, you’ll see shriveled, sprawling roots straining 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 lacks 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 delayed maturity.

4) Iron (Fe)

Not only humans, plants need iron too! It is a cog in many plant processes, including but not limited to energy transfer, chlorophyll production, nitrogen fixation, and acting as a catalyst to speed up energy-producing chemical reactions. If the leaves of your house plant are yellowish, 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, i.e. germination. Zinc also helps in the development of enzymes that regulate growth, produce energy and synthesize all essential proteins in the plant. Lack of zinc means stunted growth.

6) Copper (Cu)

The presence of copper helps to strengthen the cell wall structures of the plant through the synthesis of 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 that continues to affect fruit and grain production. It initiates enzyme systems related to nitrogen fixation in vegetables so that symbiotic bacteria can grow easily. However, molybdenum requirements are usually low, so most plants do not show any deficiency in this.

Now that you know these essentials, start testing your soil for deficiencies and help your plant grow long and healthy!