The 5 plant needs are..
Water, sun, soil, nutrients, air
What is soil texture?
The amount of sand, silt, and clay in a soil
What are the three main nutrients plants need to grow?
Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium
a pH of 4 is considered ___________
acidic
What does "days to germination" mean?
How many days until the plant sprouts (starts to grow)
The best soil for growing plants in is called ______
loam
What does a plant use nitrogen for?
To make green leaves, which is important for photosynthesis
pH with a range of ____ to ____ are considered basic
7 - 14
What is fertilizer?
A substance that contains nutrients (nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium) that is used to add nutrients to a soil
To improve soil texture and make it more loamy, you can add what to soil?
Compost or manure
What do plants use phosphorus for?
For growing strong roots and tasty fruits
How do you make a soil more basic?
What is the difference between a pest and a pollinator?
Pests damage a plant while pollinators help plants by moving pollen to flowers to turn them into fruits
What is porosity?
The amount of water soil can hold
What do plants use potassium for?
Why is soil pH important for plant growth?
pH affects whether the nutrients are available for plants to use (e.g. if the pH is too low, nutrients like nitrogen are stuck in the soil and cannot be used by the plant)
What pH is considered "neutral" (neither acidic or basic)?
7
What type of soil has a higher permeability: clay loam or sandy loam?
Sandy loam
What are signs of nutrient deficiency?
Nitrogen - yellow leaves
Phosphorus - purple leaves
Potassium - stunted growth, dried leaves
What pH has the most nutrients available?
A pH of 6-7