Common Uses For Zinc

Fertilizers are a plant's vitamins

To put things in perspective, using fertilizers properly is an important part of gardening, but it is almost never a matter of life and death.

First, despite the common use of the terms "plant food" and "feeding," fertilizers are not food. Plants make their own food through a remarkable process called photosynthesis, which uses the energy of the sun to create sugar from carbon dioxide and water.

If you need to think in terms of plants eating something, their energy source is light and they build their bodies from air and water.

In addition to the carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that plants get from air and water, they also require 13 elements that are essential to their ability to carry on their life processes and be healthy.

Rather than thinking of them as food, a better analogy would be to think of them as vitamins. These 13 essential elements are the same for all plants, and they are almost always absorbed by plants from the soil through their roots.

All 13 nutrients are present to some degree in average soil.

Nutrient deficiencies

Sometimes, however, one or more may not be present in sufficient quantities for a plant to grow and function at its full potential.

On occasion, a plant may be so deprived of an essential element that it actually gets sick (as when azaleas or gardenias get iron chlorosis).

That's where fertilizers come in. A fertilizer is a substance added to the plant's environment that provides one or more of the essential elements.

The essential elements obtained from the soil are divided into three groups, based on the relative amounts of the elements used by plants -- but it's important to remember that all the essential elements are equally important.

The micronutrients (or trace elements) include boron, chlorine, copper, iron, manganese, molybdenum and zinc. They are used in very tiny amounts and are rarely deficient. However, in the alkaline soils south of Lake Pontchartrain, acid-loving plants have difficulty absorbing iron, and iron deficiencies are fairly common in plants like gardenias and blueberries.

The secondary elements -- calcium, magnesium and sulfur -- are used in larger amounts. The soils of the south shore are generally rich in these elements, although sulfur may be added to make the soil more acid. The native soils north of the lake, though, are often low in calcium and magnesium and quite acid. Gardeners on the north shore may need to add dolomitic lime to their gardens to provide calcium and magnesium and make the soil less acid.

Questioning Answers: Zinc

My previous post on calcium led me into some interesting reading on the various vitamins and minerals required for optimal health. I say 'optimal health' but really I believe less and less there is such a concept, given the huge heterogeneity present among the human race and the myriad of environmental and genetic influences constantly tugging at our health and well-being. Probably a better way of describing it would be 'get-through-the-day health' which, whilst not being so catchy in title, is better reflective of our changing nutritional requirements dependent on so many different factors. I am mindful that I have extolled the virtues of zinc in this post and paid only lip service to the more potentially negative effects, particularly the relationship with cadmium  and its onwards toxicity and the possible interactions with various medications and other nutritional supplements. Going back to my original assertion of 'get-through-the-day health', I would perhaps forward the view that zinc, in the right amounts, plays a very important role in maintaining a healthy body. I have been involved in autism research for more years than I care to remember. This blog is a place to describe and discuss various research into autism spectrum and related conditions. I am not making any recommendations, I am not giving any medical advice, I am not formulating any specific opinions and do not want to get into any ethical, political or religious debates. I am not trying to change anyone's opinions, views, beliefs or anything else. It is purely a blog about science and research in autism and a few other interesting things. Any posts I make are my own opinions and not reflective of any organisation I am affiliated to. Keep in mind that science does not deal in absolutes but rather probability. Autism spectrum conditions is a label used to describe several diagnoses including autism, Asperger syndrome and pervasive developmental disorder-not otherwise specified (otherwise known as autism spectrum disorder). Diagnosis is by observation and analysis of developmental history. These are heterogeneous conditions which can carry various co-morbidities and whilst described as life-long are affected by age and maturation. Autism means different things to different people. To some it means a need for life-long support. To others it is part of the varied tapestry of humanity.

Bulletin - United States Geological Survey

Journal of the Institute of Metals

Encyclopaedia of Occupational Health and Safety: Chemical, industries and occupations

Purchasing agent, magazine of centralized buying

Zinc