Cochise County Master Gardeners

There are nutrients utilized by the plants in order for them to carry out vital processes for optimum growth, carbohydrate assimilation, and protein synthesis. These nutrients are known as essential nutrients because of three things: 1) The plant cannot complete its life cycle without them, 2) No other nutrient (or element) can replace it, and 3) The element is directly involved in the nutrition of the plant. In this section you can find out what the difference is between macro-nutrients and micro-nutrients. There is a difference, but each category is just as equally important as the other. Macronutrients are termed such because they are required in larger quantities by the plant, unlike micronutrients which are required in smaller amounts. So, find out why they are so important, the vital roles they play within the plant, the right levels in a plant that are sufficient (because too much of a good thing can be harmful), and how to interpret a leaf nutrient analysis.