The Advantages of Potassium Fertilizer

Basic Plant Processes

• A main purpose of potassium in plant fertilizers is to keep necessary physiological plant processes occurring correctly, including a plant’s use of nitrogen, another chief fertilizer nutrient. Using nitrogen appropriately is important to a plant because nitrogen allows plants to stay green and flourish and is an important part of a plant’s metabolic processes. Potassium additionally helps synthesize some components of plants, improves fruit quality and assists in the creation of important protein.

Photosynthesis

• The presence of potassium in plants helps these plants accomplish the intricate process of photosynthesis. Photosynthesis occurs when plants convert the energy from sunlight into electric and then chemical energy. This process uses sunlight along with water, carbon dioxide and minerals to produce carbohydrates that humans need to eat. Photosynthesis also yields the oxygen humans require to breathe and thus is essentially one of the most critical biological processes on Earth.

Tolerance

• Potassium makes grasses tolerant of heat and cold. In addition, this nutrient in fertilizers helps plants withstand lawn diseases and other environmental stressors. A lack of potassium actually causes problems such as the conversion of small soybean leaves’ margins from a light green to yellow hue. White or yellow blotches on the edges of alfalfa leaves additionally point to a lack of potassium, and the edges of the leaves of corn plants turn brown when not enough potassium is available, meaning the leaf tissue is dead.

Winterizing

• Helping to winterize grass is another huge benefit of potassium fertilizers. These fertilizers are used to prepare lawns for the upcoming winter season and typically have a high proportion of potassium compared with the other chief fertilizer nutrients of nitrogen and phosphorus. Apply this type of fertilizer either in the spring or fall to protect your grass from the harsh elements of the winter season, thus allowing it to remain green, attractive and healthy when the following spring season arrives.