Do plants simply pull mineral content from soil? Example, kale is a source of potassium. If I was able to remove all of the potassium out of the soil and ground in my garden, would a kale plant grow if I planted the seeds and watered it? (Assuming correct climate conditions)
In: Chemistry
The seed would likely germinate but die pretty soon after. Potassium is one of the macronutrients for plants along with nitrogen (nitrates) and phosphates. This is why many fertilizers give an NPK number (N-nitrogen, P-phosphate, K-potassium) which indicates the proportion of each substance in the fertilizer.
And yes, these nutrients are extracted from the soil through the roots of the plants.
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