When it comes to plant growth, fertilizer seems to be an indispensable aid. However, excessive fertilizer not only fails to promote plant growth, but also causes plant burn. Why is this? This article will take a deep dive into the effects of excessive fertilizer on plants, the science behind it, and provide some precautions.
Fertilizer burn is a phenomenon of plant damage caused primarily by high concentrations of salt and nitrogen in fertilizers.
Fertilizers usually contain nutrients required by plants, such as nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. These nutrients can increase the photosynthesis and cellular respiration rates of plants. Photosynthesis is the process by which plants absorb water and nutrients through their roots to produce sugars, while cellular respiration is an important step in breaking down these sugars and releasing energy.
However, when too much fertilizer is applied, the plant's root system may not be able to handle more salts and nutrients than it can handle, which can cause the plant to be unable to photosynthesize and respire properly, resulting in visible scorch marks.
Different fertilizers have different salt concentrations, which affects their salt index. The salt index is an indicator used to measure the effect of fertilizer on the change of osmotic pressure among plant roots. Generally