NNITROGEN
A PLANT ’ S
GO-TO
ELEMENT
by Rich Hamilton
If there ’ s one thing healthy plants need , it ’ s nitrogen . No element supports more plant processes than this macronutrient . But be careful , as too much of a good thing can be very harmful .
Plants , like animals , need some important nutrient elements to keep them healthy . The growth and development of a plant ’ s leaves , roots , and fruits depends on the availability of essential nutrients like nitrogen . These elements support and enhance the plant ' s biological processes including growth , absorption , transportation , and excretion . These nutrient elements are broken down into several groups based upon the quantity in which the plants need them : macronutrients , secondary macronutrients , and micronutrients . The macronutrients are nitrogen ( N ), phosphorus ( P ), and potassium ( K ), otherwise known as NPK . When you look at a bottle of plant nutrients designed for indoor growing , you will normally see three numbers on every bottle , this is known as the N-P-K ratio . This ratio tells you how much of each macronutrient is contained within the bottle . A bottle that says 1-2-3 , for example , would indicate that it contains that particular percentage mix of each of the macronutrients . Plants require macronutrients throughout their whole lifecycle , albeit in different quantities , and so you will find NPK ratios vary depending on what nutrients you are buying and what phase the plant is in .
48 Maximum Yield