minerals Archives

A Boron Story

The photo below is of Romanesco Broccoli plants, taken December 15, 2015. There was a failed crop of cucumbers in this bed which I pulled in late August, and transplanted in the Romanesco seedlings. Usually I apply feathermeal, a bit of gypsum for sulfur, and as little powdered borax as possible…

The many elements utilized by plants have a complex and interwoven relationship with each other in the soil, in the water in the soil, and in the plant. Soil biology mediates these relationships and adds another layer of complexity. It is important to understand how minerals move in the plant…

The physical part of a plant is made out of plant-essential nutrients. What are they and what role do they play in the plant? This is a huge subject and we don't want to make this a reductionist evaluation. At the same time, it's interesting and useful to understand the main…

Soil pH has a profound influence on the availability of certain nutrients, especially if the pH is out of the 6.0 to 7.0 range. For example, we note that manganese becomes toxic below pH 5.5 and little will grow until the pH comes up. For those with pH in the…

Copper is required by both plants and animals. Experts say it makes our vegetables taste better. So, our plants need copper; however, our soil life is easily injured by copper in the wrong form. We include two copper sources on our worksheets. The OMRI organic farming standard is to use…

The main cations we are concerned with for plant growth are Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg), Potassium (K), Sodium (Na). Each plays a role in plant nutrient uptake and plant health. For example, magnesium is one of the key constituents of chlorophyll. Calcium aids in the uptake of all nutrients and helps…

Elements that are used in large quantities in plants are the macro nutrients and those which are essential but are used in small amounts are the micros. Nutrients that are mobile in the plants will not show symptoms of deficiencies in the new leaves, whereas immobile nutrients will not be…

Ag lime Dolomite lime Gypsum Soft rock phosphate (see below for Fertoz) Bone meal Magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) Small quantities are at the drug store in the laxative aisle Potassium sulfate Sul-Po-Mag (K-Mag or Langbienite) Ag sulfur (Tiger-90) Feather meal (may be listed as a feed, or available at the…

minerals

A Boron Story

Mineral summary table

Plant Essential Nutrients

Mineral availability versus pH

Copper

Balancing Cations

Mobility of the nutrients

Where to source amendments