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Agriscience Unit 18: Plant Growth
681030
Soil or growing media pH
• Proper soil or growing media pH will have
the most impact on the availability of
nutrients in the soil
pH
• pH stands for the potential hydrogen ions
in the soil
• Is a characteristic of water and it affects the
growth of plants
• Affects the availability of nutrients in the
soil
• Is the measure of the acidity or alkalinity of
the soil
pH range
• 5.0 – 7.5 is ideal pH range suited for most
plants
Lime
• Is used to raise the pH in soils
• Is usually applied as finely ground dolomite
limestone that supplies both calcium and
magnesium for plant growth
Sulfur
• Is used to lower the pH in soils
High alkalinity
• A soil or growing media with a high
alkalinity level is made more acidic by
lowering the pH value with sulfur or
aluminum sulfate
High acidic levels
• A soil or growing media with high a acidic level is
can be made more alkaline by adding lime to raise
the pH value
Types of Growing Media
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Soil (sand, silt and clay) (inorganic)
Perlite (inorganic
Water (inorganic)
Sphagnum moss (organic)
Peat moss (organic)
Vermiculite (inorganic)
Tree Bark (organic)
Perlite
• Is a volcanic glass material used for
starting new plants and is used in media
mixes
Sphagnum moss
• Is a growing media used for encouraging
root growth on plants under certain
conditions
Vermiculite
• Is a mineral mica-type material used for
starting new plants from seeds or cuttings
and is used in growing media mixes
Soil
• Is the top layer of the earth’s surface and is
the primary medium for cultivated plants
Temperature
• 60 – 80 degrees Fahrenheit is best
temperature range for plant growth of
warm season vegetables (tomatoes, carrots,
peas, cucumbers, squash, peppers, butter
beans, okra, water melons, sweet corn, or
eggplant) and annual flowering plants
Compost
• Is partially decayed organic matter
composed of leaves, manure, or household
waste
Hydroponics
• Means growing plants in water (cucumbers,
lettuce and tomatoes)
• Plants grown in a hydroponics system will
need mechanical support mechanisms
Amendment
• Is anything added to make a soil better such
as organic matter, nutrients, and pH
modifiers (lime or sulfur)
Ions
• Most plant nutrients are absorbed in
solutions called ions
Plant Nutrition
• The availability and type of basic chemical
elements in the plant
Fertilizer in the soil
• When fertilizer is added to soil, it causes more
nutrients to be available to the plant and high
concentration of nutrients moves to areas of low
concentrations in the plant
Fertilizers
• Come in various forms, but most nutrients
within a fertilizer must become liquid
forms (soluble) in order for plants to use
them
Organic fertilizers
• Organic fertilizers are usually slow
acting and long lasting forms of
nitrogen but lacking in the other
primary nutrients (except bone meal).
• Include animal manures and compost make
with plant or animal by-products
Examples of organic fertilizers
• Dried and pulverized manures which are
slow acting and long lasting
• Bone meal (phosphorus's is the primary
element)
• Soybean meal
• Cotton seed meal
Complete fertilizer
• Is a fertilizer that contains the 3 primary
nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium
Primary Nutrients
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Nitrogen (N)
Phosphorus (P)
Potassium (K)
Plants need large amounts of these nutrients
to grow and be productive
Macronutrients (N-P-K)
• Are nutrients needed in large amounts by
the plant
Inorganic fertilizers
• Have a higher analysis of soluble nutrients
which have been blended together for a
specific purpose in growing plants
Side-dressing
• Is a fertilizer application that involves
placing fertilizer in bands about 8 inches
from the growing plants planted in rows by
growers
Broadcasting
• Is a fertilizer application that involves
spreading evenly fertilizer over the entire
area and is used on turf and home lawns
Foliar application
• Is a fertilizer application that involves the
spraying of a water soluble fertilizer
(micronutrients) directly onto the leaves of
the plants
80 lb. Of 5-10-10
• How many lbs of nitrogen, phosphorus, and
potassium are in a 80 lb bag of fertilizer?
• nitrogen _______
• phosphorus _______
• Potassium _________
• Formula: 80 x .05 = 4.00 (N)
•
80 x .10 = 8.00 (P)
•
80 x .10 = 8.00 (K)
Chlorosis
• Is the yellowing of the leaves of a plant
caused by lack of nitrogen
Plant Growth