• Water performs many functions for plants.plants image by Melissa Schalke from Fotolia.com
  
  Water is essential for plant growth, as it not only carries nutrients from the soil, it also helps the nutrients to move through the plant more easily. Water achieves this by breaking down the minerals into tiny particles that it carries through the plant. Minerals can be added to plants by either adding them directly to the water or by adding fertilizers and minerals to the soil, then allowing water to push the nutrients into the plant. There are three main groups of minerals that water carries into plants.
  
  

Primary Macronutrients

• Primary macronutrients are the main minerals that plants require in order to grow properly. These minerals leach from the soil more quickly than other nutrients and minerals, because plants utilize the greatest amounts of this type of nutrient. These minerals are commonly found in store-bought fertilizers. Primary macronutrients include nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.
  
  

Secondary Macronutrients

• According to the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, secondary macronutrients are calcium, magnesium and sulfur. These nutrients are common in soil and are usually not found in store-bought fertilizers. Secondary macronutrients are most easily added back to the soil by adding lawn cuttings and leaves (sulfur) and by adding lime (calcium and magnesium). As they break down, water pulls them into the plant.
  
  

Micronutrients

• The micronutrients or trace elements, though essential for plant growth, are only used in small quantities. These nutrients, which include boron, copper, manganese, zinc, iron, chloride and molybdenum, can easily be added to your soil via grass clippings and leaves. Water helps these elements to break down and become easier to carry into the plant.