Growing your own herbs, fruit and vegetables is not only a healthy and rewarding activity, but it can reduce the amount of money you’re spending on groceries, and the amount of food waste your household is producing. By growing organic vegetables at home you can ensure your food is chemical free while being packed with all the healthy plant nutrients.
Food grown at home, like the generations before us is natural, raw and full of flavour. You know exactly what goes into the food you are eating. It is tastier, healthier and adds a sense of accomplishment and independence.
And with the right nutrients, growing your own vegetables can be much easier than you think.
Here we look at the key plant nutrients that can boost your gardens harvest and how you can add them to plants with items you already throw in the bin.
16 Key Minerals for Plant Development
Plants require 16 essential minerals in varying amounts depending on the species you are trying to grow.
The first three, Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen are freely available and are derived by plants from both the atmosphere and from the water within the soil.
The next group of three are called Primary Nutrients and include the essential Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium. All plants require these nutrients in various amounts.
The three Secondary Nutrients are often found in adequate quantities within your backyard’s soil. However, adding extra Calcium, Sulfur and Magnesium can help some plant species flourish.
The remaining seven minerals are called Micro Nutrients and are often already found in the soil, water or atmosphere. Some also tag along naturally with the Primary and Secondary Nutrients so it’s unlikely you will need to manually add these minerals.
These seven Micro Nutrients include Iron, Zinc, Manganese, Copper, Boron, Molybdenum and Chloride.
Of course if you are using a soilless medium to grow your plants try a combination of natural fertilisers that includes all of the sixteen nutrients.
All sixteen minerals should be given relevant consideration when growing a wide variety of plants.
Just keep in mind that when adding new minerals to plants or seedlings always start with a smaller quantity or well diluted amount and see how the plant reacts.
The Three Free Plant Nutrients
The Three Free Plant minerals are Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen which all come from the atmosphere and the water from the soil. Beyond watering the plant regularly as usual these three nutrients are abundantly accessible to all plants.
Carbon is a hot topic of debate around the world at the moment. Some suggest humanity should aim to eradicate all Carbon from our atmosphere. And that following a vegetarian diet may help that cause.
Unfortunately, without any Carbon plants wouldn’t have a vital nutrient needed to produce the vegetables that could sustain such a diet.
Like much of the splendour provided by Mother Nature, everything requires balance which leads us to the first three plant nutrients.
Carbon
CO2 is part of the process by which plants make their own food. It’s during this photosynthesis where plants use carbon dioxide, along with water and nutrients to produce glucose and oxygen. Further, the glucose produced by the photosynthesis is used by the plant as an energy source for growth and development.
Plants under elevated CO2 conditions often exhibit increased water use efficiency. They can achieve the same level of growth with reduced water consumption, which is advantageous in arid or drought-prone regions.
Increased CO2 levels can improve a plant’s ability to use nutrients efficiently, leading to better nutrient uptake and utilization.
Plant deficiency in Carbon shows up with twisted leaves, stunted growth and can lead to necrosis and chlorosis.
Organic Sources of Carbon
Organic sources include Green Manure, Sawdust, Leaves and Wood Chips.
Let two handfuls of weeds to steep in a bucket of water for a week and then use the liquid directly onto the soil. Dilute for younger plants and seedlings.
Hydrogen
Watering your plants is the primary source for adding Hydrogen. Plants use sunlight to split water and turn the Hydrogen into its usable form.
Hydrogen has a positive effect on all parts of the plant cycle. It helps with seed germination, seedling growth, root growth, stomatal closure and harvest freshness.
Hydrogen is also necessary for building molecules and sugars that powers the plant.
The only easy way to add Hydrogen organically, at home, is to add water and give the plant plenty of sunlight.
Oxygen
Oxygen is responsible for cellular respiration in plants and plays a critical role in photosynthesis. It also helps to store energy and assists in improving the uptake of other plant nutrients.
Oxygen deficiency can lead to drooping branches and drought related symptoms. Leaves can wilt and drop prematurely while the plants base can become yellow.
Sources include Water, Sunlight, Algae, Plankton, Hydrogen Peroxide.
Like Hydrogen, the easiest way to add Oxygen to plants is to simply add water.
The Three Primary Plant Nutrients
Every plant variety on Earth requires some combination of Nitrogen, Phosphorous and Potassium. Given the code NPK, the right ratio of these primary nutrients differs depending on the plant species.
The code NPK is found on most fertiliser packaging with corresponding numbers that define the ratio of the primary nutrients.
Almost all store-bought fertilisers include a Nitrogen, Potassium and Phosphorous ratio graphic that looks something like this.
This graphic indicates that the fertiliser is high in Nitrogen and relatively lower in Phosphorous and Potassium. Some fertilisers contain equal quantities and others are adjusted to suit the type of plant. Almost all fertilisers display their relevant quantities by abbreviating their periodical symbols, N-P-K.
These primary plant minerals are the essential building components for producing strong and healthy plants and should be given the highest priority.
Nitrogen
Plants turn Nitrogen into amino acids which are the proteins they require to create cells. Nitrogen is also vital in the production of chlorophyll, the green pigment in plant leaves that converts energy from light into the carbohydrates plants feed on. Nitrogen also plays a vital role when plants are young and are actively growing stems, branches and leaves.
When deficient of Nitrogen plants the oldest leaves start yellowing while the rest of the plant appears to look light green. need
Organic Sources of Nitrogen
Organic sources of Nitrogen include Fish, Grass Clippings, Leaves, Urine and Alfalfa Meal.
Adding fallen leaves into your mulch or directly into the soil during Autumn is a great way to boost Nitrogen levels in time for Spring.
Chopped Sunflowers, weed soup or growing oats nearby also increases Nitrogen.
Phosphorous
Phosphorus is like a power station within plants, playing a role in every process that involves energy transfer from one function to another. These energy transfers include growing roots or forming flowers and fruit.
Phosphorus initiates the transformation of Nitrogen into amino acids and it is the trigger that converts sunlight into carbohydrates. This element is most in need during transitional periods in plants growth, such as the end of vegetative growth and the beginning of the flowering stage.
Phosphorus also helps with root development, cell wall creation, moisture conservation and blooming.
When deficient in Phosphorus, new leaves appear burnt while older leaves turn dark green to reddish-purple.
Organic Sources of Phosphorus
Organic sources of Phosphorus include Bone Meal, Crab and Shrimp Waste, Chicken Manure, Burnt Cucumber Skin, Potato Peel, Dried Lemon Peel, Pig Manure.
Try blending some dried lemon peel into a course powder and add it directly to the soil or container.
Potassium
Among many other benefits, Potassium is key to helping plants open their pores to consume Carbon Dioxide. During drought periods, Potassium also helps prevent water loss by closing these pores to minimise damage to the plant.
When plants begin to flower, Potassium is the catalyst in the creation and delivery of the starches and sugars needed for the blossoms to fully form.
When deficient in Potassium older leaves start to wilt and begin to look scorched around the edges.
Organic Sources of Potassium
Organic sources of Potassium include Wood Ash, Banana Peel, Kelp Meal, Potassium Sulphate, Potato Peel, Fish Meal, Seaweed and Kelp Meal.
Try cutting your leftover Banana Peels into small pieces and put them in water to soak for 2-3 days. Then pour the water onto the soil.
The Three Secondary Plant Nutrients
The three Secondary Plant Nutrients are Calcium, Sulfur and Magnesium. These important nutrients are often found in adequate amounts in the soil but can require replenishing.
Some plant varieties need more of these nutrients than others. And if the soil is being used multiple seasons in a row it may need a top up.
Calcium
Just as humans need calcium for strong teeth and bones, plants need the mineral to build sturdy cell walls and healthy root systems. It also helps transport other nutrients from the roots to the leaves and flowers.
When plants are deficient in Calcium, the newest leaves, near the top, grow in irregular shapes or are distorted.
Organic Sources of Calcium
Organic sources of Calcium include Egg Shells, Agriculture Lime, White Chalk, Oyster Shells, Fish Meal and Wood Ashes.
Blend some dried Egg Shells into a fine crumble and spread directly onto the soil surface.
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Sulfur
Sulfur plays a critical role in helping Nitrogen transform into amino acids and chlorophyll.
It also activates growth enzymes and is a major component of the essential oils that give flowers and fruit their scent and flavour.
Sulfur also serves as a molecular building block for all kinds of vitamins, hormones and proteins.
Sulfur deficiency in plants is obvious when the youngest leaves turn yellow, followed by older leaves. It can often be confused with a nitrogen deficiency, where the yellowing appears first on lower, older leaves before spreading to the whole plant.
Organic Sources of Sulfur
Organic sources of Sulfur include Compost, Coffee Grounds, Powdered Sulfur, Gypsum, Composted Legumes, Cabbage Leaves, Superphosphate, Cow, Sheep and Horse manures, Epsom Salts and Mushroom manures.
Try blending any cabbage waste with some water and then pour the mixture into a bucket of water. Allow to steep for at least a week and then pour the steeped cabbage soup onto the soil.
Magnesium
As the central atom in the chlorophyll molecule, magnesium plays a critical part in photosynthesis. It also plays a key role in many of the enzymes that activate different stages of the plants life cycles.
When your plants are lacking Magnesium the older leaves turn yellow at edge leaving a green arrowhead shape in the centre of the leaf.
Organic Sources of Magnesium
Organic sources of Magnesium include Epsom Salts, Potato Peel, Dolomite Lime and Poultry Manure.
Dilute a pinch of Epsom Salts per ten litres of water and pour directly onto the soil.
The Seven Micro Plant Nutrients
The seven remaining micro nutrients are necessary in trace quantities but there is usually enough found in normal soils.
However, if you are starting seeds out in a soil less mixture such as Vermiculite or Perlite it maybe necessary to add these nutrients after the seedlings have sprouted.
Luckily, these micro nutrients can often be found in the same sources that provide the more critical minerals such as the Primary Plant Nutrients.
Copper
The jury is still out on the importance of Copper as a plant nutrient. Although scientists may consider it a micro nutrient, many gardeners have had great success in using Copper in a variety of ways.
There is a large collection of videos on the internet where using Copper in the process called Electroculture appears to give plants a significant boost.
Others are convinced that using Copper gardening tools or making a Copper pyramid can also boost harvest results.
Scientists do suggest that Copper plays a role in converting amino acids into proteins that help create new cells and helps in the production of flowers, seeds and fruit.
Copper is a particularly essential for crops such as Spinach, Carrots, Beetroot, Onions, Tomatoes and Sunflowers.
Deficiency in Copper can lead to stunted growth, brown spots on the leaves, slow leaf growth and sometimes multiple buds.
Organic Sources of Copper
Organic Sources of Copper include Oak Leaves, Pine Needles, Copper Sulfate, Lowering high Ph levels and Poultry manures.
By adding a mixture of Chicken manure into the soil, you can improve the more essential plant nutrient of Phosphorus while also increasing the Copper. Keep in mind that Copper intake by plants is hampered if the soil has a high Ph level.
Zinc
Zinc is used by plants in the metabolism of the carbohydrates that fuel plant growth and for the production of hormones that stimulate plants’ stems to grow upward. It also has a role in fruit production and in producing chlorophyll.
Zinc deficiency can cause leaf discoloration called chlorosis, which causes the tissue between the veins to turn yellow while the veins remain green. Chlorosis usually affects the base of the leaf near the stem.
Just beware that an excess of Zinc can obstruct a plants’ uptake of Phosphorus, Iron, Manganese and Copper.
Organic Sources of Zinc
Organic sources of Zinc include Manure, Composted Corn, Worm Castings, Ragweed, Vetch and Zinc Sulfate.
By adding forms of manure to improve primary plant nutrients such as Phosphorous you can also increase the quantity of Zinc in the soil.
Iron
Like in humans, Iron helps to carry oxygen to all the plant cells. It also works with other minerals to produce Chlorophyll and aids in the metabolism of sugars and other carbohydrates.
Iron deficiency in plants can be found on the veins of young leaves where the leaves turn yellow but the veins remain green. This results in Chlorosis and can cause the plant to be weakened and its growth stunted.
Organic Sources of Iron
Organic sources of Iron include Humus, Manure, Compost, Blood Meal, New Jersey Greensand, Chelated Iron and Iron Sulfate.
One of easiest ways is to soak some animal bones in water for a few days and then pour directly onto the soil. This will help boost Iron and Phosphorous levels in the soil.
Manganese
Easily confused with Magnesium, Manganese is an essential element in the enzymes that triggers germination and all new growth on plants of all ages. Manganese also plays a role in carbohydrate metabolism.
Manganese deficiency is uncommon, but it has similar symptoms to iron deficiency, because plants need Manganese to use Iron.
Organic Sources of Manganese
Organic sources of Maganese include Oak Leaves, Carrot Tops, Alfalfa and Manganese Sulfate.
Try blending some dried out Carrot Tops into a course powder and applying directly onto the soil.
Molybdenum
Molybdenum is a another important component for the enzymes that drive the formation of flower pollen. It also helps the plant to process Primary Nutrients such as Nitrogen and Phosphorus.
Deficiency in Molybdenum sees older leaves become yellow while the rest of the plant turns a lighter green.
Organic Sources of Molybdenum
Organic sources of Molybdenum include Sodium Molybdenum, Farm Manures, Beans, Lentils, Black Eyed Peas, Banana and Raw Peanuts.
Another way to increase Molybdenum naturally is to raise the Ph Level in the soil. The more alkaline the soil the more Molybdenum a plant can consume. You can do this naturally by adding Lime or Wood Ash to the soil.
Try soaking beans in a container of water for three days and then, strain the beans and apply the water to the soil.
Boron
Boron partners up with Calcium to help form cell walls and to transport sugars around the plant. It also aids in the plants’ uptake and absorption of Calcium. A high Ph level in the soil or high humidity can inhibit a plants’ absorption of Boron.
Unlike the deficiencies of other plant nutrients, a lack of Boron can show symptoms randomly with splotches of yellow on the higher leaves. It can also have an effect on branches and new growth which may become brittle or distorted.
Organic Sources of Boron
Organic sources of Boron include Borax, Granite Dust, Clover, Worm Castings and Composted Melon Plants.
If you don’t have worms or granite nearby try chopping up Watermelon, Rockmelon or Honeydew peels and soaking them in water for a few days. Then pour the water directly onto the soil.
Chloride
Sometimes called Chlorine, naturally occurring Chloride is important for photosynthesis and the uptake of Carbon Dioxide and in limiting water loss.
Many plant diseases are resisted by soils that contain adequate amounts of Chloride. Chloride, like Potassium, helps with regulating the water in plant cells leading to productive cells and increasing the absorption of Carbon Dioxide.
Chloride has also been known to improve the yield and quality of crops such as Onion and Cotton.
Deficiency in Chloride can lead to a reduction in photosynthesis which shows in leaf bronzing and sometimes dappled chlorotic spots. It can also lead to a restricted root system that can produce stubby tips.
Organic Sources of Chloride
Generally, natural sources for Chloride can be found in the same sources as Potassium. These include Kelp Meal, Wood Ashes, Banana Peels and Eggshells.
Whenever you are adding a natural source to increase Potassium in your soil, you will also be adding Chloride.
Homemade Recipe for Adding All 16 Plant Nutrients
There are many easy recipes that can help to add essential plant nutrients
Compost bins are great for breaking down the organic matter and making the nutrients available for plants to use. But it can take a few months to create a steady supply of usable compost.
If your plants are needing a quicker solution here are some homemade recipes which can inject some extra plant nutrients into your soils.
All in One Recipe for Plant Nutrients
Here is a cheap and easy recipe to make at home that includes all of the plant nutrients listed above.
Just remember that you will want to dilute the nutrient soup for seedlings or younger plants.
Start by boiling Egg Shells from 4-6 eggs and once cooled remove the shells and add the remaining water to a 10 litre bucket. Then add the Peels of three medium-sized Potatoes.
Cut up the Peels of two Bananas into small pieces and throw them in the bucket. Pick roughly two handfuls of both common Weeds and fallen Leaves and add them into the bucket.
Fill the rest of the bucket with water and give the ingredients a good stir.
The above is like a starter pack that covers the three Primary Nutrients. You could leave it at that, let the water steep for at least a week, stirring once or twice. Then strain the water from the ingredients and use diluted on your soils.
If you have found any nutrient deficiencies then add any combination of these into the bucket.
Depending on what nutrient is needed you could add Potato Peels, Chicken Manure, Borax, Leaves, Wood Ash, Seaweed, Green Beans, Worm Castings, Bones/ Bone Meal, Epsom Salts, Fish.
For more organic homemade recipes to add nutrients to your plants checkout these handy pages.
9 Organic Fertilizers Without Spending a Penny
Recipes for Homemade Organic Fertilizer
Conclusion
If you are looking to improve the quality and quantity of garden harvest, it is worth experimenting with natural sources of plant minerals.
Most of these nutrients can be found in some form at home and are much cheaper than buying store fertilisers
Feel free to test out different ingredients from the natural sources provided here for each nutrient. But be careful, too much a good thing can burn the plants and is unnecessary as the soil can only digest small quantities anyway.
As with everything in Mother Nature, it is important to find the right balance.