Plant Nutrition vs Plant Fertilization

Many people confuse plant nutrition with plant fertilization. So what is the difference?

Fertilization is the term used when these materials the plant needs, but may be limited, are supplied to the environment around the plant.

Plants need 18 elements for normal growth. Carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are found in air and water. Nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and sulfur are found in the soil. The latter six elements are used in relatively large amounts by the plant and are called macronutrients. There are nine other elements that are used in much smaller amounts; these are called micronutrients or trace elements. The micronutrients, which are found in the soil are iron, zinc, molybdenum, nickel, manganese, boron, copper, cobalt, and chlorine. All 18 elements, both macronutrients and micronutrients are essential for plant growth.