Plants & trees need eight essential trace elements, or micronutrients, to thrive. Read about these 8 trace minerals from Green As It Gets™

Have you ever felt worn down or gotten sick and then realized you have been eating well or taking your vitamins? Because they are also living things, plants can also get sick when they are lacking in nutrients. Just as human beings need vitamins and minerals to survive and stay healthy, plants and trees also need these eight essential trace elements (micronutrients, minerals). What’s more, the better we treat our garden soil to grow healthy fruits and vegetables, the healthier we live as humans. You see? This means that the relationship between soil, plants and humans is truly a symbiotic one!

Definition of Trace Element

A trace element, also called micronutrient in biology, is any chemical element required by living organisms in minute amounts. Plants, trees, lawns and every living thing in your garden or landscape require these trace minerals to live and thrive. These eight essential elements are copper, boron, zinc, manganese, chlorine, nickel, iron and molybdenum. Exact needs vary among species, but every plant and tree requires these eight essential micronutrients. Lack of even one of these nutrients in the soil causes plant deficiency diseases. You can read a lot more detail about these micronutrients HERE from Encyclopedia Britannica.

Points to Remember

• All plants require eight essential trace elements to stay healthy.
• The amounts and ratios of trace minerals vary among plants.
• If one or more nutrients are lacking in the soil, then plant health suffers even though a good amount of other elements are available.

Learn More from Green As It Gets™!

Click on or tap any of these buttons for the subject you’d like to learn more about!

• Plant Nutrition
• Planting Depth
• Soil Compaction
• Soil PH
• Rhizosphere
• Mycorrhizae
• Beneficial Bacteria
• Watering