Guides, Nutrient Guides
How Do Nutrients Prevent Common Plant Deficiencies?
Apr
Every grower wants healthy, thriving plants, but nutrient deficiencies can quickly set them back. With so many essential nutrients playing key roles in plant development, it’s crucial to understand how deficiencies occur and how to prevent them. This blog covers the most important plant nutrients, the symptoms of common deficiencies, and how nutrient solutions are absorbed and utilised to keep your plants in top condition.
What are the most important plant nutrients?
Plants require a wide range of nutrients for healthy growth, each contributing to processes such as nutrient uptake, photosynthesis, and cell strength. Among these, certain macro-elements are particularly viral for overall plant health:
- Nitrogen (N): A key component of chlorophyll, nitrogen plays a crucial role in photosynthesis, helping plants convert sunlight into energy. It’s also a major building block of amino acids, the foundation of plant proteins.
- Phosphorus (P): Essential for cell division and the development of the growing tips, phosphorus is especially important for seedling and young plants. While it’s commonly found in soil, hydroponic growers must ensure it’s present in their nutrient solutions.
- Potassium (K): Potassium regulates water movement, nutrient transport, and enzyme activation within plants. It also plays a key role in ATP production, which directly affects photosynthesis and energy transfer.
- Magnesium (Mg): A core component of chlorophyll, magnesium is crucial for photosynthesis and enzyme activation. It also helps transport phosphorus, making it essential for metabolic processes.
- Calcium (Ca): Strengthening cell walls and membranes, calcium helps plants resist disease and pests. It also acts as a signalling molecule between plant cells, supporting overall structure and growth.
Now that we’ve covered the essential nutrients, let’s look at how to identify deficiencies before they impact plant health.
What does nutrient deficiency in plants look like?
Recognising nutrient deficiencies early is crucial for effective treatment and prevention. Here’s how to spot common deficiencies:
- Nitrogen deficiency causes slowed growth and uniform yellowing of older leaves. Affected plants develop smaller leaves, shoots, and fruits, and foliage may drop prematurely.
- Phosphorus deficiency results in distorted, undersized older leaves, often with purple veins and curled edges. The undersides of leaves may also take on a purple hue.
- Potassium deficiency begins with yellowing along the leaf midrib, spreading to the edges. Older leaves may become crinkled, curled, or dry out completely before falling off.
These deficiencies are commonly treated with NPK-rich nutrient solutions. Global Air Supplies offer a wide range of base nutrients designed to optimised plant health and prevent these issues before they arise.
- Magnesium deficiency causes interveinal yellowing, particularly in older leaves, and leads to overall stunted growth.
- Calcium deficiency results in weak, bushy growth with small, misshapen young leaves. Brown spots develop along leaf edges and spread towards the centre.
Magnesium and calcium deficiencies can be treated together using products like Plant Magic Magne-Cal+, which provides both nutrients in an easily absorbable form.
How are nutrient solutions absorbed and utilised by plants to prevent nutrient deficiencies?
Unfortunately, symptoms of nutrient deficiency often aren’t visible until the deficiency is fully established in your plants. Luckily, there are various plant nutrient solutions designed to tackle deficiencies, protect your plants’ health, and increase yields even when it seems like it’s too late.
Nutrient solutions can be applied in two main ways: foliar sprays or preventative solutions. Foliar sprays are absorbed directly through the leaves’ pores, allowing nutrients to enter the plant’s vascular system quickly for fast and visible results. Global Air Supplies offers three foliar sprays from leading brands – Plant Magic, Optic Foliar, and House & Garden – to support plant health. Alternatively, preventative nutrient solutions are incorporated into a regular feeding regime, delivering nutrients to the root zone. Microorganisms break down these nutrients into simpler, absorbable components, which the plant then transports through its vascular system to support growth and photosynthesis. For more details on our high-performance base nutrients, check out our dedicated blog on nutrient solutions.
Just as every plant requires a balanced mix of nutrients, Global Air Supplies offers a carefully curated range of tried-and-tested solutions to prevent deficiencies and maximise plant health. Explore our full range on the Global Air Supplies website.
