How Does Fertile Soil Affect Plants

Plants require many elements in order to grow and stay healthy, one being fertile soil. Fertile soil is rich in nutrients that are required for growth the main ones being nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It also has many minerals such as manganese, iron, sulfur, copper, magnesium, and plenty of organic matter. However, not all plants have fertile soil, meaning plants that require certain nutrients, minerals, or organic matter will not be able to grow well. Not only does it affect plants, but it also impacts our food and water supplies. Soil can become infertile due to a physical or chemical problem in the soil that impedes the growth of the plant. Soil with a poor physical structure can limit a plant 's access to oxygen and water, while chemical problems happen due to an imbalance in the naturally occurring elements in the soil. An excess of acidic materials in the soil can also make it infertile even though it has enough nutrients to make a plant grow. Too much salt in the soil doesn’t allow plants to absorb water and depreciates the physical structure of the soil which may make the soil infertile. When the particles in the soil become too small, the soil will have a firm surface that restricts the capability for plant roots to obtain air or water, causing it to become infertile. After all, there is a solution to this problem; fertilizers.

A fertilizer is any substance of natural or artificial origin that is put on soils or plant tissues, normally leaves, to provide