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RHS L2 Sarah - 1/2/3/4 > 2.Plant Nutrition > Flashcards

2.Plant Nutrition Flashcards

1
Q

What is the standard way to reduce pH?

A
  • Sulphur - converted to Sulphuric acid by micro organisms
  • Aluminum sulphate (fertiliser)
  • Pine needles used as a mulch
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2
Q

What is the standard way to raise pH?

A
  • Add lime (Chalk) in autumn
  • Spent mushroom compost
  • Calcium carbonate
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3
Q

What are the advantages of liming?

A
  • Raises pH and can make other nutrients available
  • Provides calcium
  • Encourages worm and bacteria population
  • Discourages some diseases such as clubroot in brassicas
  • Makes clay soils workable by flocculation (improved aeration, drainage)
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4
Q

Name 2 plants that prefer acid soils (calcifuges).

A
  • Rhododendron
  • Camelia japonica
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5
Q

Name 2 plants for neutral soils.

A
  • Iris spp
  • Aster spp
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6
Q

Name 2 plants for alkaline soils (calcicoles).

A
  • Clematis alpina
  • Viburnum tinus
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7
Q

What is meant by fertiliser?

A
  • Concentrated form of nutrients applied to the plant environment to increase and sustain plant growth
  • Can be organic or inorganic
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8
Q

What is meant by soluble fertiliser?

Give an example.

A
  • Dissolves immediately with water
  • Ammonium sulphate
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9
Q

What is meant by slow-release fertiliser?

Give an example.

A
  • Doesn’t dissolve immediately with water but provides nutrients in soluble form over a long period of time
  • Degrade slowly, usually under the influence of soil micro-organisms to release their nutrients
  • Dependant on soil temperature

Hoof & horn / Bone meal

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10
Q

What is meant by a straight fertiliser?

Give an example.

A
  • Supply one major nutrient
  • Usually used to provide different nutrients at different times of the year, or to correct particular nutrient deficiencies
  • Usually inorganic

Ammonium nitrate (N)

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11
Q

What is meant by a compound fertiliser?

Give an example.

A
  • They may be organic or inorganic, or contain both
  • Supply two or more of the major nutrients

Growmore (NPK)

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12
Q

What is meant by a controlled-release fertiliser?

Give an example.

A
  • Granules of inorganic fertilisers coated with a porous material, so release at right time for plant
  • Water enters the granule and the fertilisers leach out into the surrounding soil
  • The warmer the soil, the faster the leaching; this corresponds to plant growth which is faster in warm weather
  • By varying the thickness of the coating granules can be designed to feed plants for different periods of time.

Osmocote

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13
Q

What is meant by base dressing and when would you apply it?

A
  • Fertiliser incorporated into soil at final prep stage
  • Dug in before sowing/planting
  • Spread over surface and forked/raked into top 10cm
  • E.g Triplesuperphosphate applied to seed bed
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14
Q

What is meant by top dressing and when would you apply it?

A
  • Added to surface of soil of established plants
  • Lightly forked into soil surface
  • Usually compound fertiliser
  • E.g lawn feed applied in autumn
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15
Q

What is meant by liquid feed and when would you apply it?

A
  • Fertilisers dissolved in water
  • Applied to the soil or growing media, directed to the roots of plants
  • Mostly used on pot plants, outdoor containers
  • E.g. Tomorite may be applied to tomato plants growing in pots in a greenhouse
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16
Q

What is meant by foliar feed and when would you apply it?

A
  • Application of fertiliser in a diluted form to the foliage of the plant
  • Fast acting
  • Used to correct nutrient deficiencies
  • Wasteful as a lower percentage of the nutrients supplied actually enter the plant
  • E.g. a foliar feed of Epsom salts may be applied to correct magnesium deficiency in the foliage of apple trees
17
Q

Name organic fertilisers.

A
  • Fish, blood and bone (N,P,K)
  • Poultry manure (N)
  • Bonemeal (P, N)
  • Comfrey tea (K)
18
Q

Name inorganic fertilisers.

A
  • Growmore (N,P,K)
  • Ammonium sulphate (N)
  • Potassium sulphate (K)
  • Triple super-phosphate (P, Ca)
19
Q

Why is pH 6.5 the most suitable pH for a wide range of plants in the UK?

A
  • Availability of nutrients is at its highest
  • Soil organism activity is at its optimum
20
Q

What are immobile nutrients?

Name 4 examples

A

Nutrients which do not easily move within the plant

  • calcium (Ca)
  • iron (Fe)
  • sulphur (S)
  • boron (B)
21
Q

What are mobile nutrients?

Name 4 examples.

A

The nutrients which move around within the plant

  • nitrogen (N) in the form of nitrate
  • phosphorus (P) in the form of phosphate
  • potassium (K)
  • magnesium (Mg)
22
Q

State whether each of these materials are acid, neutral or alkaline?

Peat, Coir, Green manure, Composted bracken, Wood ash, Ammonium sulphate

A

Peat – Acidic

Coir – Neutral

Green manure – Acid

Composted bracken – Neutral

Wood ash – Alkaline

Ammonium sulphate – Acid

23
Q

Benefits and limitations of organic fertilisers?

A

Benefits:

  • Generally safe to use - no risk of toxic build up
  • Sustainable (animal and plant material)
  • Provide a steady supply of nutrients of over a long period
  • They do not react so readily with other fertilisers
  • Encourage soil micro organisms

Limitations:

  • Often slow acting and need to be applied well in advance of planting
  • The amounts of nutrients may vary considerably
  • Breakdown by micro organisms is dependent on temperature
24
Q

What are the benefits and limitations of inorganic fertilisers?

A

Benefits:

  • Precise nutrient content
  • As they are more concentrated only small amounts are needed
  • Water soluble and not temp dependent
  • Nutrients are available to plant immediately and do not need micro organisms to break them down first

Limitations:

  • Many react with other fertilisers so care is required if combining them.
  • Can be detrimental to soil organisms
  • Environmental concerns such as run-off into watercourses
  • High environmental impact - fossil fuels
25
Q

What is meant by the term pH?

A
  • Expresses the amount of acidity or alkalinity in the soil
  • Between 1 - 14
  • 7 is Neutral
  • Below 7 = Acidic
  • Above 7 = Alkaline
  • PH of 6.5 is ideal for most plants (6-7)
26
Q

Why do plants need nitrogen?

Symptoms of Excess/Deficiency

A
  • Large amounts needed
  • Leaf/ vegetative green growth
  • The dark green pigment in plants (i.e. chlorophyll)
  • Most easily leached from the soil

Excess

  • Excessive Soft, lush leafy growth
  • Vulnerable to pests/disease
  • Easily damaged by cold

Deficiency

  • Slow growth
  • Yellowing of leaves ( Chlorosis - due to lack of chlorophyll)
  • Bluing of older leaves
  • More noticeable in older leaves
27
Q

Why do plants need phosphorus?

Symptoms of Excess/Deficiency

A
  • Plays a vital role in energy transfer - Produces ATP
  • Needed in meristematic tissue for shoot and root growth
  • Essential to seed formation and germination,often found in large quantities in seed

Excess

  • Reduces plants ability to take up micro-nutrients
  • Yellowing of leaves/Poor health

Deficiency

  • Weak/poor root growth - Poor plant development
  • Stunted new growth
  • Blue/purple leaf and stem colouring
28
Q

Why do plants need potassium?

Symptoms of Excess/Deficiency

A
  • Needed for flower/fruit formation
  • Increases plant hardiness
  • Osmotic regulator – critical in reducing water loss from leaf stomata and increasing uptake of water via the roots

Excess

  • Leads to nitrogen deficiency
  • Yellowing of leaves
  • Slow growth

Deficiency

  • Poor flowering or fruiting, yields
  • Brown/ scorched areas on leaf tips/edge
29
Q

Why do plants need calcium?

Symptoms of Deficiency

A
  • Integral part of plant cell walls – holds cell wall together after cell division
  • Promotes cell division (meristems) especially in root tips

Deficiency

  • Weakened cell walls
  • Stunted growth
  • Inward curling, pale young leaves
30
Q

Why do plants need magnesium?

Symptoms of Deficiency

A
  • Key component of chlorophyll, plays a critical role in photosynthesis
  • For healthy leaves

Deficiency

  • Yellowing of leaves between the veins
31
Q

Why do plants need Iron

Symptoms of Deficiency

A
  • Involved with chlorophyll production

Deficiency

  • Yellowing of leaves between the veins– younger ones first
  • Failure to flower and fruit
32
Q

List 3 Major and 3 Minor nutrients

A

Major

  • Nitrogen (N)
  • Phosphorus/ Phosphate (P)
  • Potassium/ Potash (K)

Minor

  • Calcium (Ca)
  • Magnesium (Mg)
  • Iron (Fe)
33
Q

List key effect of soil PH on organisms within the soil

A
  • Worms and beneficial bacteria do not like acidic soils - raising PH is more beneficial to these organisms
  • Clubroot is more common in acidic soils
  • Common scab of potatoes occurs in alkaline soils
  • Overtime soils become more acidic due to rain, the activity of soil organisms and added fertilisers

RHS L2 Sarah - 1/2/3/4 (21 decks)

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