Liebig’s law of the minimum. Baron Justus von Liebig, a German scientist in the mid 19th century, popularised the “law of the minimum,” which states that “plants will use essential elements only in proportion to each other, and the element that is in shortest supply—in proportion to the rest—will determine how well the plant uses the other nutrient elements.”
The law essentially states that a plant’s growth is limited by the lowest level of every essential element.
In other words, high levels of nutrients are wasted when any essential element is missing or supplied not proportionately balanced. Lack of any essential mineral, no matter how seemingly insignificant, will affect the overall growth and health of the plant.
Our ongoing research, at the time of writing, has highlighted 18 nutrients necessary for the healthy growth of nutrient dense, balanced plant life.
Primary Nutrients
Nitrogen, Phosphate, and Potassium
Secondary Nutrients
Calcium, Magnesium, and Sulphur
Micronutrients
Copper
Boron – fruit & seed productions, attracts pollinators
Iron
Manganese
Zinc
Molybdenum – essential for processing nitrogen
Cobalt
Silicone
Selenium
Sodium
Chlorine
Nickel
Think of these in terms of 100/10/1, – 100 parts Primary to 10 parts Secondary to 1 part Micro.
One example, courtesy of www.soilminerals.com.
In the absence of any one of these essential minerals the growth and reproduction cycle will fail. The failure may not be as obvious as a fruit tree not blooming or forming fruit. A plum or peach tree may bloom and form loads of beautiful, sweet fruit, but the stone or pit of the fruit will be empty or contain a shriveled infertile embryo that cannot grow. That is caused by the lack of sufficient manganese, either because there is little or no manganese in the soil, or because the plant was unable to absorb and utilize manganese due to a deficiency of another essential mineral such as iron.
To achieve nutrient dense vegetables, the soil must contain the essential nutrients. It is the minerals in the soil that provide a fruit or vegetable with its flavour as well as its nutrition. No amount of added organic matter will compensate for missing minerals. Plenty of organic material may provide quantity, but it is balanced mineral rich soil that gives quality.
Photo courtesy of soilminerals.com
It is important to remember that crop nutrients represent only one component of a soil’s character and this is in constant interaction with its microorganisms and with the available water, sunlight, and the air that the plants breathe.
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