Plant minerals for healthy growth

Question	Answer
Plants use minerals from the soil and energy from the sun to produce food. Plants need certain elements to produce important compounds. They get these mineral ions from the soil. If there are not enough of these ions, plants suffer deficiency symptoms.	Nitrates. Contain Nitrogen for making amino acids and proteins. These are needed for cell growth. plants deficient will be stunted and have yellow older leaves.
Phosphates. Contain phosphorus for making DNA and cell membranes. These are needed for respiration and growth. Plants deficient will have poor root growth and purple older leaves.	Potassium. Potassium aids the enzymes needed for photosynthesis and respiration. plants deficient will have poor flower and fruit growth and discoloured leaves.
Magnesium. Needed in smaller amounts. Magnesium is used for the production of chlorophyll. plants deficient will have yellow leaves.	Image: mineral_ions (image/jpg)

Resource summary

	Created by lingox about 10 years ago