What do plants need nutrients for?
Most plant material is carbohydrates such as cellulose, lignin and starch. These are made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen which plants get entirely from carbon dioxide and water. There are other materials in plants which contain elements from plant nutrients.These include protein (found in all cells), amino acids, enzymes, chlorophyll, DNA and ATP (an energy carrier). Plants use the nutrients in some of the folllowing ways: Macronutrients: Nitrogen is found in all proteins, amino acids, nucleic acids including DNA and enzymes. Phosphorus is used in DNA and is also found in an important molecule called ATP (adenosine triphosphate), which all living things use for respiration.. Potassium: plants and animals rely on charged ions to move electrical charges across cell membranes and create electric ‘action potential’. Animals use a combination of sodium and potassium ions, but plants use potassium and chloride ions. We say that potassium ions are an electrtolyte in plants. Secondary nutrie
