Identify 7 Characteristics Of Fertilizer Deficiency Crops

Illustration of the characteristics of plants lacking fertilizer (Unsplash/Kendal)

JAKARTA – Taking care of plants is indeed difficult. The difficulty is because plants have a unique 'language' and it's easy after recognizing how plants 'speak' by giving certain signs to the growth process.

Including knowing the characteristics of your favorite plant lack of fertilizer. Well, in more detail, if you find the following characteristics below, you need nutrients from the nutrients of the growing media.

1. Leaves turn yellow, dry and fall off

You can notice which part of the leaf turns yellow. If the older leaves do not turn yellow but instead the younger leaves, the plant is probably nitrogen deficient.

This cause also causes stunted plants or slowed growth. Furthermore, the growth of leaf buds, flowers, and fruit will be lower.

2. Smaller leaf size

It is different when there is a lack of nutrients in the form of phosphorus. In plants that are deficient in phosphorus will show signs of the newly sprouted leaves being smaller in size. In addition, the color of the old leaves tends to be grayer and the edges of the leaves appear brown spots.

3. Dry leaves and scorched spots

Reported by Sariagri, Friday, August 13, plants that lack potassium will have dry leaves and charred spots if there is a lack of potassium. Lack of potassium in soil nutrients also causes flowers to fall off easily, leaves roll down, and is susceptible to disease.

4. Yellow spots appear on the surface of old leaves

It's quite a pity, isn't it when a beautiful colorful leaf plant then appears yellow spots on its surface? This is the plant's way of expressing what it needs.

These characteristics indicate a magnesium deficiency plant. The leaves are then susceptible to disease, especially powdery mildew or powdery mildew.

5. Curly leaves

If the leaf surface changes, it could be that the plant is in need of certain nutrients. Including when the leaf surface turns more curly. This is a sign that the plant lacks calcium. This sign is followed by plants not growing tall and the flowering process is hampered.

6. Leaves are lighter in color and not fresh

Sulfur helps the process of protein synthesis. This causes the plant to experience chlorosis or nitrogen deficiency. A drastic decrease in the chlorophyll content in the leaves means that you need to add fertilizer or replace it with a higher nutrient planting medium.

Have your plants at home ever experienced the above characteristics?

In general, plants need 13 kinds of macro and micro nutrients and 5 functional nutrients. Macro and essential nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), calcium (Ca), sulfur (S), and magnesium (Mg).

To supplement the micronutrients, you can provide plants with liquid fertilizer mixed with water. You can also process household waste at home into compost which includes the nutritional elements needed by plants.