Below we're going to look at these three core elements, what they do within the plant and what deficiency and toxicity symptoms look like.
HINT: Treat deficiencies by completely draining your tank and creating a new batch of nutrients with a good ph of 5.8 to 6.2. Inside of 4-5 days improvement should be seen. Deficiencies are caused by not putting in enough nutrient.
HINT: Treat toxicity levels by completely draining your tank and refilling first with ph adjusted water for 1-3 days, then with half strength nutrients for 4 to 7 days. When symptoms improve take your nutrients back up to full strength. Toxicities are caused by not changing your nutrients often enough or overfeeding.
HINT: To avoid toxicities and deficiencies always change your nutrient every 7-10 days and get a nutrient truncheon so you can keep your nutrients at the right level.
Nitrogen(N) :
High levels of nitrogen are required especially during vegetative growth. Nitrogen is essential to the plant for manufacturing proteins and protoplasm needed for cell growth. Nitrogen is important for leaf and stem growth and contributes greatly to a plants overall size and health. Nitrogen is also needed in the development stages of fruits and flowers.Deficiency symptoms : Slow growth, yellowing of leaves starting with old growth, reddish purpling of the stems.
Toxicity symptoms : strangely lush foliage that is soft and prone to stress, weak stems that bend and fold, poorly developing roots that can brown and rot, small sparse flowers or fruit.
Phosphorous(P) :
Needed in high levels by your plant during germination, seedling and flowering stages of growth. Phosphorous serves as the means a plant uses to transfer energy around during photosynthesis. Phosphorous is directly associated to general plant vigor and resin and seed production.Deficiency symptoms : stunted growth, small leaves, greenish blue leaves with blotches, reddish purpling of the stems, leaf tips darkening and curling down, delayed flowering, smaller fruits and flowers than usual.
Toxicity symptoms : plants can generally handle high levels of phosphorous however if you overdo it you can interfere with the plants ability to uptake other elements such as calcium, copper, iron, magnesium and zinc essentially creating a deficiency in these other much needed elements.
Potassium(K) :
is required at all stages of plant growth. potassium is needed by the plant to make and move sugars and starches and for cell division. also increases chlorophyll in the foliage and helps regulate the plants ability to make good use of light, air and co2. Potassium encourages good all round root growth which ensures smooth nutrient uptake and resistance against disease.Deficiency symptoms : dark yellowing in leaves starting with old growth, weak scrawny stems, leaf edges burning, retarded flowering, diminished yields.
Toxicity symptoms : plants can generally handle high levels of potassium however if you overdo it you can interfere with the plants ability to uptake other elements such as magnesium, manganese iron and zinc. So the symptom of a potassium deficiency is actually the deficiency of another element altogether.
Last Updated: July 08, 2008
