Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, or NPK, are known as the “Big 3” nutrients that plants need to grow. Nitrogen, considered to be the most important of the Big 3, is essential for plants to form protein, which, as in humans, makes up much of a plant’s tissues. Phosphorus is necessary for plants to use and store energy and carry out the process of photosynthesis. Without phosphorus, plants cannot grow and develop normally. Potassium rounds out the Big 3. It helps plants to resist disease and helps increase crop yields. When combined into NPK fertilizer, the Big 3 nutrients help plants grow bigger, faster and, seemingly, healthier. However, as noted in a recent Nautilus article authored by...
↧