Over the cold winter months, it is tough to make sure that your seedlings and plants are well cared for and will thrive come the new year. Phosphorus plays an important part in this and has a key role in assisting the growth of your plants. Read on to find out more about what it does and how you can utilise it to support your plant’s growth.
What does phosphorus do?
The most important role of phosphorus is its ability to assist a plant in turning nutrients into a usable substance that it can use to promote growth. It’s one of the most widely used and important nutrients and is commonly found in fertilisers. In fact, it puts the P in NPK balance. If you don’t naturally have phosphorus in your soil, then it is likely you will need to find a way to improve the phosphorus levels for your plants to thrive. Something like a high phosphorus fertiliser is the best way to solve this problem.
Combating phosphorus deficiency
The first step to combating the problem is to identify if this is the actual cause. Usually, you can tell just by looking at your plants. If you have a phosphorus deficiency in your soil, you will likely find that your plants tend to grow to be fairly small and perhaps don’t produce many flowers, if any. They will also have a green or purple tinge and are likely not to have very strong roots. If this is something you are seeing in your plants, you likely need to improve the phosphorus levels in your soil.
How to improve phosphorus levels
The most common way to boost the levels of phosphorus in your soil is to use a chemical fertiliser. They are designed to make sure your soil has enough nutrients for your plants. You will need to make sure to check the phosphorus level in the fertiliser you use and ensure that it has a high P value, since this represents the levels of phosphorus. Other, more organic options you could try include bone meal or even rock phosphate, which can more naturally increase phosphorus levels. However, it’s also important not to use too much as excess phosphorus can become a pollutant and lead to further problems. For this reason, caution is always recommended when attempting to alter the phosphorus levels in soil, no matter the method you use.
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