How to Visually Look for Plant Nutrient Deficiencies

Cultivating healthy plants can be quite a delicate art as they need just the right amount of nutrients to thrive. Any more or any less than the plant needs and their growth will be affected, resulting in a lower-than-expected yield.

Fortunately, most plants will show physical signs of nutrient deficiency if they aren’t getting the right balance of nutrients in the correct frequency.

Plants require both macronutrients and micronutrients for healthy growth. Macronutrients include phosphorous, nitrogen, sulfur, calcium and potassium while micronutrients include boron, zinc, copper and chlorine. If your plants aren’t getting enough of either micro or macronutrients, their appearance may change.

Nitrogen is crucial in the production of chlorophyll, or the green pigment on leaves. This pigment plays a central role in the absorption of sunlight and the synthesis of carbohydrates. Nitrogen deficiency will manifest as yellowing of the leaves from the tip of the leaf down the middle. It tends to appear more prominently in older leaves and can be remedied by applying urea, manure, and fertilizers with nitrate and ammonium.

Phosphorous is usually needed during the early life of the plant while the roots are still developing. A plant that isn’t getting enough phosphorus will display stunted growth with poor root development and reddening stems. You may also notice browning leaf tips and older leaves with a reddish-purple or dark green color.

Phosphorous deficiency is common in compacted and acidic soils. It can be fixed by using phosphate fertilizers, bone meal and foliar fertilizers with phosphorus. Potassium deficiency is common in sandy soils and soils with a lot of calcium and magnesium. A deficiency in potassium will manifest as drying of the leaf tips and margins of older leaves. You can add potash fertilizer to the soil or spray potassium foliar fertilizer to deal with potassium deficiency.

Magnesium deficiency will present as yellowing of the leaves between the veins. It tends to occur in sandy soils and soils with a high concentration of calcium and potassium. It can be remediated by applying foliar magnesium fertilizer or adding magnesium sulfate to the soil.

Sulfur deficiency often occurs in sandy soils, soils exposed to water flow and heavy rainfall, and soils low in organic matter. It results in yellowing on younger leaves and can cause older leaves to yellow if left untreated.

Calcium deficiency, on the other hand, tends to be rare because of excessive calcium levels in most soils. Plants with a calcium deficiency will have irregularly shaped and distorted top leaves. Tomato plants that aren’t receiving a lot of calcium suffer from blossom-end rot disease.

Once a farmer suspects a nutrient deficiency based on the observations they make, they can reach out to fertilizer manufacturers such as Compass Minerals International Inc. (NYSE: CMP) to obtain the needed macro or micronutrient mix to restore vigor to their crops.

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