July 22, 2026

Spotting Nutrient Deficiencies in Your Plants

Plants require 17 essential nutrients to grow properly. Each of these nutrient's travel through the plant in a different way, allowing you to determine what deficiency a plant may have based on where and how it is experiencing chlorosis – the discoloration of leaves due to decreased chlorophyll production. This infographic describes how to spot and differentiate common nutrient deficiencies you may see in your plants.

Text reads: "What is chlorosis? Chlorosis is when plant leaves turn yellow or another color due to not enough chlorophyll being produced. This is often caused by nutrient deficiencies or environmental stress."

Text reads: "What chlorosis tells you. Discoloration of specific leaves, or areas of leaves, tells you specific nutrient deficiencies." Image proceeds to describe how to tell if your plant has nitrogen, phosphorus, or potassium deficiencies.

Image describes calcium, sulfur, iron, manganese, copper, and magnesium deficiencies in plants.

It is worth noting that chlorosis can also be caused by environmental factors. Overwatering, underwatering, and pests are all examples of this. It is important to consider environmental factors as well as nutrient deficiencies when trying to help your plant recover. All plants are a little different, what works for your tomatoes may not work for your corn, but it usually only takes a little research to figure out the issue!

At DFW Organic Growing, we carry various organic products to support your plant's macro and micronutrient needs! Check out our Amendments product page to see all our high-quality fertilizers!

Written by Kaitlyn Watt