Plant Nutrients and Soil Fertility

Understanding plant nutrition and soil fertility is important in properly managing landscapes. There are 17 essential elements required for plant growth, and these elements are obtained by the plant from the air, water, and soil. When adequate nutrients are not be found in soils or are not readily available to plants, fertilizers can be added to improve plant growth.

Nutrient application in landscape management is too often excessive as nutrient costs are minor compared with other costs and the perception that more is better. Nutrient over-application has great potential for negative environmental consequences, such as leaching of nitrogen into groundwater; movement of nitrogen, phosphorus and other nutrients and pesticides in runoff to surface water; volatilization of ammonia into the atmosphere; emission of the greenhouse gas nitrous oxide, and deposition of ammonium in nitrogen sensitive ecosystems. Practicing the 4 R’s of fertilizer use is important to grow healthy plants and protect the environment.