How Soil Nutrients Impact Plants

17.08.2023 - 01:01 / gardeningknowhow.com / Teo Spengler

Soil nutrients are what plants absorb to make their own food. What nutrients are in soil is similar to the vitamins and nutrients we need in our food for our bodies to thrive. All living things need nutritional chemical substances.

What nutrients are in soil that plants require? There are more than a few. Read on to learn all about the optimal nutrient soil.

Plants rely on the soil they grow in for many of their needs. Everyone knows that soil gives a plant stability as the roots extend downward, but that’s not all. Soil also protects plants from dramatic changes in temperature, which becomes very important during the hottest and coolest times of the year. In addition, it provides oxygen used by the plants’ roots to break down sugars into form they can use, and water that travels up the plants’ roots carrying essential nutrients. Soil nutrients are used in every part of the life process of a plant.

Plants absorb nutrients from soil, as well as from the water that’s in the soil. The primary nutrients they need to make food for energy are carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. Other organic soil nutrients include the “big three,” nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, as well as calcium, magnesium, and sulfur.

When it comes to essential nutrients for plants, several are provided by air and water. The other important elements come from essential soil nutrients. The soil itself provides these nutrients, although they can be added and supplemented to the soil as fertilizers.

These soil nutrients almost always enter a plant through its roots.

The most important nutrients – the ones plants require in larger amounts – are referred to as macronutrients. These are:

Nutrients that plants require only in tiny amounts are called micronutrients. They