Monday, January 4, 2016

A Healthy Community Garden Requires Health Soil - Part 2 of 3



II.                 Nutrient Chemistry of Healthy Garden Soil

Most gardeners are inundated and have a good working knowledge of the phrase; “Mind your N’s, P’s, & K’s!”  The three (3) main chemical nutrient requirements for any healthy soil are Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K): 
  •  Nitrogen (N) helps plants make the proteins they need to produce new tissues, too much nitrogen and you will have super green plants, but no flowers or buds;
  • Phosphorous (P) stimulates root growth, helps the plant set buds and flowers, improves vitality and increases seed size; 
  • Potassium (K) improves overall vigor of the plant and helps the plants to make carbohydrates and provides disease resistance.
However, not all gardeners realize that there are three (3) more chemical nutrients required for healthy soil; Calcium (Ca), Manganese (Mn), and Sulfur (S).  While not needed in as great a quantity as the main three (3), each has a vital role in the healthy garden soil: 
  • Calcium (Ca) is used by plants in cell membranes, at their growing points and to neutralize toxic materials. In addition, calcium improves soil structure and helps bind organic and inorganic particles together; 
  • Magnesium (Mn) is the only metallic component of chlorophyll. Without it, plants can't process sunlight; 
  • Sulfur (S) is a component of many proteins.
Finally, there are at least seven (7) other “micro-nutrients” required in trace amounts for a healthy soil: 
  • Boron (B) which is essential for germination and growth of pollen tubes; 
  • Chlorine (Cl) which helps plants with photosynthetic reaction; 
  • Iron (Fe) vital for nitrogen fixing and respiration; 
  • Zinc (Z) for the production of plant enzymes; 
  • Copper (Cu) which is essential for plants to be able to process carbohydrates and proteins, which helps increase the flavor of vegetables and fruits; 
  • Molybdenum (Mo) essential to help bacteria and microbes fix nitrogen into the soil; 
  • Nickel (Ni) essential for leaf and chute growth in plants, helps legumes to fix nitrogen into the soil. 
Next Week: Amendments to Achieve Health Garden Soil - Part 3 of 3

1 comment:

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