Plant Nutrients

Plants need certain nutrients to grow and reproduce. There are 17 such nutrient elements necessary for plants to thrive, often grouped in several ways. Those that are required by plants in substantial quantities are called macronutrients. Those that are required by plants in very small amounts are called micronutrients.

Element	Periodic Symbol	Source	Classification
Carbon	C	Air & Water	Macronutrient
Hydrogen	H	Air & Water	Macronutrient
Oxygen	O	Air & Water	Macronutrient
Nitrogen	N	Soil	Macronutrient
Phosphorus	P	Soil	Macronutrient
Potassium	K	Soil	Macronutrient
Calcium	Ca	Soil	Macronutrient
Magnesium	Mg	Soil	Macronutrient
Sulfur	S	Soil	Macronutrient
Iron	Fe	Soil	Micronutrient
Copper	Cu	Soil	Micronutrient
Manganese	Mn	Soil	Micronutrient
Molybdenum	Mo	Soil	Micronutrient
Zinc	Zn	Soil	Micronutrient
Boron	B	Soil	Micronutrient
Chorine	Cl	Soil	Micronutrient
Nickel	Ni	Soil	Micronutrient

Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are available in abundance and obtained by plants from the air and water. They make up about 94% of a typical plant’s dry tissue. The other 14 elements make up the remaining portion (about 6%) of a typical plant’s dry tissue.

Even though these remaining 14 elements might be needed in smaller quantities, they are still important to plant health. Deficiencies of these elements in the soil can limit growth of the plant, but can be compensated for through the application of fertilizers.

The 14 elements derived solely from the soil can be further divided into three groups: primary nutrient elements, secondary nutrient elements, and micronutrient elements.

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