Soil Deficiency

Minerals

• Soils can be deficient in a wide variety of critical nutrients. For example, soils sometimes lack zinc and iron. Other minerals that could be missing in soil include calcium, nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. To find out what nutrients your soil is missing, collect a sample of the soil and take it to your local extension office for testing. The test results will indicate what amendments you must add to your soil to get rid of deficiencies. The test also will let you know whether your soil is at the right pH level -- or the level of acidity and basicity -- for the plants you wish to grow. The right pH level is required for a soil to produce its best plant yields.

Indications of Zinc Deficiency

• If you wish to grow plants in an area in which topsoil was removed for irrigation purposes, zinc deficiency in the soil is highly likely. In addition, note that deficiency of zinc in soil more easily occurs when the spring season is wet and cold. Low organic matter typically points to soil deficiencies in zinc, while a high pH level contributes to low iron and zinc in soil as well.

Other Deficiencies

• When looking at a plant, you can tell that the planting soil is deficient in calcium when the leaves at the top of the plant have abnormal shapes. Leaves at the bottom of the plant turn yellowish if the plant's soil lacks nitrogen, while a phosphorus soil deficiency creates leaves with burned tips and old leaves that turn dark red or purple. When a soil lacks potassium, the leaves tend to wilt.

Effects and Treatment

• If a soil is deficient in important nutrients, not only do plants grow poorly but also pests can pose issues and erosion can take place because the soil is unhealthy. In addition, water has a difficult time passing through the soil's particles when soil deficiencies are present.

  The best way to correct soil deficiencies is to add a fertilizer to the soil, following the manufacturer's instructions and in accordance with the results of your soil test. For soils that are deficient in iron, consider adding ferrous sulphate to the soil. Also, note that sometimes just watering dry soil is enough to eradicate nutrient deficiency problems.