Plants cannot properly function without 17 essential nutrients. These nutrients are needed so that processes critical to plant growth and development can occur. 

Essential nutrients can be broadly categorized as macronutrients and micronutrients. Macronutrients and micronutrients are both essential for plant growth and development. Macronutrients include carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, calcium, and magnesium. Micronutrients include iron, manganese, zinc, boron, molybdenum, chlorine, copper, and nickel.