Fertilizers: Providing Essential Nutrients to the Plant

Plant requires 16 nutrients that are essential for the growth of healthy plants and crops. Most of the required nutrients are not found in the soil and so to promote the plant growth a well-planed fertilizer feeding to crop is required. Fertilizer is generally applied through soil or leaves of the plant to provide the required nutrients to the plants. Soil is supposed to have some nutrients that are essential for the plant growth but soil do not provides an unlimited supply of the nutrients to growing plants. Most of the fertilizers are known for providing nitrogen, potassium and phosphate but just adding nitrogen, potassium and phosphate alone do not solve the purpose and one has to apply fertilizer based on the type of soil and the nutritional needs of the particular crops.

Fertilizers are broadly categorized into two categories of organic and inorganic fertilizers. Organic fertilizers are derived from living or once living material such as animal wastes, crop residues and numerous other byproducts of living organism. Inorganic fertilizers are derived from non-living sources such as commercial or man made fertilizers. Organic fertilizers improve the productivity of the soil and prove to be plant growth regulators, if applied properly. Fertilizers are mostly applied through soil or through leaves. Fertilizers that are applied to be up taken through leaves are called as foliar fertilizers.

There are several types of fertilizers available and one has to smartly choose a fertilizer depending on the nutritional needs of the crops, types of soil and the stage of the plant. The plants should be supplied with the right type of nutrients required at a particular stage so that fertilizers act as a plant growth regulator. Different types of fertilizers are required at the various stages of the plants or crops. Before planting the crops one has to make sure that the soil has well-composed organic matter that will aid in retaining moisture and will also provide some slow release nutrients for the soil. At the time of planting, phosphorous based fertilizer is required that will help in healthy root growth. This nutrient is found in most of the standard fertilizer. In the flowering stage plants need extra nitrogen and potassium hence nitrogen or potassium fertilizers are used as these proves to be great for promoting flowers.

Fertilizers are required to be carefully applied to the plants as applying  too much of fertilizers can cause damage to the crops as well as harm the environment whereas applying less fertilizers can hamper the growth of the plants or crops. Hence one need to carefully analyze the fertilizer needs of the plants and provide fertilizer keeping in mind all the essential aspects of plant growth and plant requirements. Thus to balance all the required nutrients at different stages of the plant, different fertilizers are applied either through soil or through leaves.