Micronutrients needed by plants are Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn, B, Mo, Cl, Ni, Co, V, Si, and Na. The required amounts of each of these elements is very small but still essential for desirable plant growth and reproduction. These elements must be applied to soils cautiously for the range between deficient and toxic is very small. It is unwise to use a fertilizer containing all of these micronutrients. Any one of them may already be high enough in soils to cause toxicity from that particular element. If a micronutrient is suspected of being deficient, it would be wise to get soil tests and plant tissue tests to corroborate your suspicions. If a micronutrient is deficient, one should apply only the amount recommended but no more. Sometimes a toxicity of an element is more difficult to correct than a deficiency. Copper, iron, manganese, cobalt, and zinc can be present in soils as (a) several types of precipitates, (b) adsorbed onto the surface of soil particles, (c) present in primary minerals (rocks) and secondary minerals (clays), and (d) present as complex ring compounds. These forms may or may not be available to plants. Precipitates of Cu, Fe, Mn, or Zn often form in soils at high pH (after liming Fig. 14.1). This may occur in soils near buildings from the lime used in the mortar. Soil acids dissolve the lime into Ca++ or Mg++ that migrate into the soil raising the pH and cause these micronutrients to precipitate. Often an Fe deficiency is evident, particularly on acid-loving plants, such as azaleas, rhododendrons, or hollies. If this is extensive, the soil near the buildings may need to be replaced. With limited areas, the soil can be acidified by adding elemental S near the plants affected. The elements Cu, Fe, Mn, and Zn can exist as soluble forms or precipitates, depending on the pH of the soil. The soluble forms as cations are present when soils have poor internal drainage (poorly drained soils), whereas the oxides of these elements are present where the soil is well aerated.
Weathering of sulfidic shale and copper mine waste: secondary minerals and metal cycling in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Tennessee, and North Carolina, USA
