Minerals Nitrogen. Nitrogen (N) number 7 on the periodic chart is the most abundant gas in earth’s atmosphere and is needed more than any other nutrient for healthy plant growth as it promotes protein building, one of the main building blocks of cell structure and function. It was first discovered by a Scottish scientist in 1772 Daniel Rutherford who called it ‘noxious gases’. It was believed that the atmosphere was made up of two gases, one that supported life (oxygen) and one that didn’t (Nitrogen). In actual fact though we now know that both gasses do. Once at room temperatures Nitrogen becomes a colourless and odourless gas! 98% of Nitrogen found in the ground is in organic form and needs inorganic microbes to turn it into nitrate or ammonia which is called mineralization, which happens throughout the growing season to make it useable! Which is why some plants like peas and beans are considered good Nitrogen ‘fixers’, breathing in and storing nitrogen in its root systems, thus fixing and holding it there until its broken down and used by other plants. The circulation of Nitrogen in the air being pulled into the ground and promoting life in plants, then in the animals that eat the plants and then when the animal or plant dies the nitrate or ammonia that is replaced back into the soil is called the ‘nitrogen cycle’. Nitrogen converted to ammonium doesn’t move around in the soil freely. It’s immobile and is unlikely to be lost in heavy rain but once nitrogen has been converted to nitrate it becomes mobile and can move around the soil quickly reaching the roots of the plants and giving the plants a good source of nitrogen to allow the plant to make plant proteins, which all the cells in the plants structure needs. The down side of this of course is that Nitrate can and does become lost in the soil and if it’s lost or leached away in rainfall before its absorbed by the plants roots then a deficiency in nitrogen occurs and then needs fixing before the lack of proteins kill the plant. Something else that can affect the plants ability to uptake nitrogen from the soil is heavily acidic soil! So be mindful of how much and of what quality you lay down for your acid loving plants, less is more. Deficiency in Nitrogen is when the plants leaves start to turn yellow and die off, affecting older leaves first and then as the deficiency continues it will spread to younger leaves. This happens because the plant can’t make these proteins which means it can’t make chlorophyll (talked about later) which then means it can’t photosynthesis and so on. If you have fish, when you change the tank water don’t just throw this dirty water down the drain, give it to the plants… it’s a liquid fertilizer and a great nitrogen kick. When I explanted to my youngest son that this used water was a kind of treat for the plants he looked confused for a second and then said. “So, mum… what your saying is that fish wee and poo is like chocolate for the plants”! Hmm … one way to look at it I suppose but I like to think about it as a top up. It doesn’t replace other methods of feeding the soil but it’s good, its recycling and its very much organic. Calcium. Sir Humphrey Davy first discovered the chemical compound of Calcium (Ca) in 1808 and it’s the 5th element and the 3rd most abundant mineral on the earth’s crust being a soft grey metal. Its number 20 on the periodic table and its name comes from the Latin word ‘calcis’ which means ‘lime’. It’s found to be harder than sodium but softer than aluminium and unlike the alkaline metals, it doesnt cause skin-burns. Magnesium. A farmer first discovered the healing properties of Epson salt in 1618 when the cattle refused to drink the water offered to them from a well. The water tasted bitter, but it was noticed how well it healed wounds! Although it wasn’t recognised as the element magnesium until around 1775 by Joseph Black! Although it was Sir Humphrey Davy in 1808 who first isolated magnesium from magnesia, known now as magnesium oxide (he wanted to name it ‘Magnium’). It’s thought to have come from the Greek word ‘Magnesia’ after the city closest to its discovery location. It is number 12 on the periodic table and is a light, silver/white alkaline metal that is tough although it starts to tarnish when exposed to air. Magnesium is the 8th most abundant element in the earth’s crust and most commonly found in seawater where it’s the 3rd most abundant element but it’s not found freely and is unstable in its purest state. But what exactly are they? And why do we need it so much for healthy plants? Well we all know they are mineral elements that’s vital for our own health but why do Plants need it so bad? ‘Well, because they are such an essential mineral to all living things’. Would be the shortest, although somewhat least satisfying answer. The reason that plants need Calcium is to help it build more cells for growth and recovery, to help it strengthen its cell walls for defence, to help protect it from diseases and infections. It also affects the quality of the fruit good or bad and regulates the stomata. What the hell is Stomata right? Well in Greek it means ‘mouth’ and that’s kind of what it is, it’s the plants mouth, it’s the cells in the underside of the plant’s leaves that are responsible for gas exchange, for breathing. Calcium deficiency are visibly things like die back or burns on the leaves and on fruit it will have blossom end rot or bitter pit. Plants need Magnesium to regulate its food intake as well as to help it form its seeds properly but also for chlorophyll production. I hear you… what is Chlorophyll right? Well Chlorophyll is from the Greek word ‘Chloros’ meaning green and that is exactly what it is! The green pigment in the plants cell organelles which is vital for the plant as it helps it absorb food and energy from light Called ‘photosynthesis’ so it can grow. So when a plant is deficient in magnesium it can’t produce chlorophyll, so it can’t photosynthesis and in effect the leaves lose their lush green colour and turn yellow and fall off.
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 08:07:13 +0000
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