Plant Nutrition and Fertilization

Abstract

Plants require adequate quantities of mineral nutrients in the proper balance for basic physiological processes, such as photosynthesis, and to promote rapid growth and development. Without a good supply of mineral nutrients, growth is slowed and plant vigor reduced. Young plants rapidly deplete mineral nutrients stored within their seeds, and cuttings have limited nutrient reserves. Therefore, nursery plants must rely on root uptake of nutrients from the growing medium. When nutrients are supplied in proper amounts and at the proper time, nursery plants can achieve optimum growth rates. This chapter describes the importance of nutrition to plant growth development and details typical fertilization practices for producing plants in tropical nurseries.