B4- Plants Need Minerals

Essential Minerals

Essential minerals are needed to keep plants healthy and growing properly. Plants absorb dissolved minerals in the soil through their roots.

The minerals are naturally present in the soil, although usually in quite low concentrations. So, farmers use fertilisers containing essential minerals (e.g. NPK) to make sure that plants get all the minerals they need to grow.

Each mineral is needed for a different purpose:

- NITRATES (N): make proteins for cell growth, helps growth and leaves

-POTASSIUM COMPOUNDS (K)- respiration and photosynthesis, helps with flower and fruit growth.

-PHOSPHATES (P)- respiration and cell growth, helps…