5 Common Nutrient Deficiencies in Plants

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My Garden Life

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July 20, 2020
Table of Contents
Nutrient deficiency in plants is often overlooked by beginner and seasoned gardeners alike.
Growing plants successfully takes more than green fingers, sunshine and water. Healthy soil
provides the vital nutrients a plant needs to grow strong, but this is an aspect that many
gardeners underestimate.
Over years of growing, the soil in your yard can become depleted of the essential minerals that
all plants need, and trying to grow anything in these conditions is likely to be a losing battle.
Spotting a nutrient deficiency problem in your soil before it gets too far will give your plants the
best chance of recovery, and here’s what to look for:
Let’s take a closer look at how to spot nutrient deficiencies in plants:
How to spot a nitrogen deficiency in plants
You may notice that the old leaves on your plant have turned yellow or pale green. This is often
an indication of nitrogen deficiency which means your plant doesn’t produce enough chlorophyll
for effective photosynthesis, resulting in dull and stunted growth.
How to spot an iron deficiency in plants
If your plants’ leaves are turning pale or see-through, there might be a lack of iron in the soil.
This can happen when plants need more iron than the soil has to offer. As iron deficiency
continues the leaf colors will fade until their green hue is completely gone.
How to spot a potassium deficiency in plants
The first sign of a potassium deficiency is yellowing leaves. The difference here, however, may
be that new growth is affected as well as mature leaves and there will often also be small brown
spots around the leaf edges on the youngest foliage.
How to spot a phosphorus deficiency in plants
If your plants are turning yellow, it could be a sign of phosphorus deficiency. A lack of this
nutrient often causes dark brown spots to form on the edges and leaves will start to fall off if not
treated soon enough.
How to spot a magnesium deficiency in plants
A magnesium deficiency, like a lack of iron in the soil, will cause leaves to appear pale.
However, unlike an iron-deficient plant where veins are lighter than leaf tissue on both sides of
the vein, a magnesium-deficient plant is greener around the leaf veins making them stand out
more starkly.
If you catch these nutrient deficiencies early enough, applying a good fertilizer will usually
reverse the symptoms before too much damage is done. Although any general-purpose plant feed
will work in an emergency, try to use a product that’s enriched with the missing mineral you’ve
identified.
However, the best long-term solution is to incorporate plenty of organic matter into your soil,
using home-made compost or well-rotted manure. Over time, this will balance the soil’s nutrients
to provide ideal conditions for every type of plant and make mineral deficiencies a thing of the
past.
Compost is a great way to return organic nutrients to the soil. Check out this quick and easy
alternative to the traditional compost pile with our Guide to Direct Composting.

MACRONUTRIENTS IN
PLANTS
04/23/2019
In plant nutrition, it is important that there is no deficiency in primary or secondary
macroelements or in essential microelements
Moreover, these elements must be present in the proper proportions.

Plants consume primary macronutrients in large quantities, while their intake of

secondary macronutrients is lower. Each of these nutrients has a distinct function,
necessary for nourishing the plant. A shortage in any of them leads to deficiencies,
with different adverse effects on the plant’s general state, depending upon which
nutrient is missing and to what degree.

Of the 60 chemical elements that comprise plants, 16 of them are essential. Of

those 16, some are extracted from the air in the form of CO2 or water. These are
carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. If for now we set aside leaf fertilization and the
three above-mentioned elements, the remaining 13 are extracted from the soil.
These are divided into macronutrients and micronutrients, all of which are
essential for crops.

Primary Macronutrients

Macronutrients are essential for plant growth and a good overall state of the plant.
The primary macronutrients are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K).

N. Nitrogen
Nitrogen is essential for plant development, since it plays a fundamental role in
energy metabolism and protein synthesis. Nitrogen is absorbed by the plant in the
form of a nitrate. This macronutrient is directly related to plant growth. It is
indispensable for photosynthesis activity and chlorophyll formation. Nitrogen is
involved, above all, in the aerial zone, the part of the plant that a person sees. It
promotes cellular multiplication. A nitrogen deficiency results in a loss of vigor and
color. Growth becomes slow and leaves fall off, starting at the bottom of the plant.

P. Phosphorus
Phosphorus is involved in root growth, which it stimulates. In the aerial zone it
favors flowering. Although phosphorus is also necessary during the plant’s growth
period, it is much more involved in the flowering stage. Phosphorus is involved in
transporting and storing energy. It improves the plant’s general state and increases
the plant’s ability to withstand adverse climatological conditions. Phosphorus is
essential in organic compound formation and the correct execution of
photosynthesis. A shortage of phosphorous results in a late, deficient flowering,
browning and wrinkling of the leaves, and a lack of vigor in general.

K. Potassium
Potassium is involved in the regulation of water and the transport of the plant’s
reserve substances. It increases photosynthesis capacity, strengthens cell tissue,
and activates the absorption of nitrates. Potassium stimulates flowering and the
synthesis of carbohydrates and enzymes. This, in turn, provides an increase in the
plant’s ability to withstand unfavorable environments such as low temperatures,
and prevents withering. Therefore, a lack of potassium reduces plant resilience to
dry spells and frosts or to a fungus attack. This, in turn, results in a lack of balance
among other nutrients, such as calcium, magnesium, and nitrogen. When there is a
potassium insufficiency, dark spots appear on the leaves.

Secondary macronutrients

Secondary macronutrients are also essential, even though they are consumed in
smaller quantities than N, P, K, that is, primary macronutrients. The secondary
macronutrients are Calcium (Ca) Magnesium (Mg) and Sulfur (S).

Ca. Calcium
Calcium attaches to the walls of plant tissues, stabilizing the cell wall and favoring
cell wall formation. Calcium is also involved in cell growth and development. It
improves plant vigor, activating the formation of roots and their growth. Calcium
contributes to mineral retention in the soil and to the transportation of such
minerals. It neutralizes toxic substances in plants and contributes to seed
formation. Calcium stabilizes and regulates several different processes, and a
calcium insufficiency causes yellow and brown spots on the leaves. It also slows
plant growth in general.

Mg. Magnesium
Magnesium constitutes the core of the chlorophyll molecule and is therefore
essential for photosynthesis. This makes it an indispensable element for plant
development. Magnesium promotes the absorption and transportation of
phosphorus. It contributes to the storage of sugars within the plant. Magnesium
performs the function of an enzyme activator, and in fact activates more enzymes
than any other nutrient. Magnesium deficiencies result in weak stalks, loss of
greenness in the oldest leaves, and the appearance of yellow and brown spots,
even though the leaves’ veins remain green.

S. Sulfur
Sulfur participates in the formation of chlorophyll. It is necessary for performing
photosynthesis and intervenes in protein synthesis and tissue formation. Sulfur is
fundamental in the metabolizing of nitrogen, since it improves nitrogen efficiency.
Sulfur also improves plant defenses in general. A shortage of sulfur is rare, but
when it does occur, the plant becomes lighter in color, taking on a pale green
appearance. A general chlorosis is seen, similar to what occurs with a nitrogen
deficiency.
Crop Nutritional Monitoring

At AGQ Labs we have been working for more than 25 years in the
continual monitoring of plant needs at any given time. In a practical and dynamic
manner, throughout the growing season, we monitor the crop’s needs for water
and nutrients, in order to adjust the irrigation and fertilizer regime to that demand.

Moreover, with such monitoring we achieve a sustainable agricultural practice,

because there is no leaching that contaminates the aquifers or harm the soil
structure. The result is:

 Minimization of environmental impacts

 Optimization of nutritive irrigation
 Better quality product
 Important savings in fertilizer costs
 Greater productivity and larger yields
To accomplish this, we have developed an internal Crop Nutritional Monitoring
procedure, based on analyzing soil solutions extracted using our patented suction
probes.

At all times, our guarantee is based on the know-how gained by AGQ Labs over the
course of our history. Through our continual efforts, we have reached optimal
reference values for the major crops. Our agronomists from around the world are
experts in the interpretation of all this information, thus contributing the greatest
value in matters of irrigation and nutrition.