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[[Fertilizer]] refers to nutrients added to [[soil]] in order to facilitate [[plant]] growth.
The main ingredients in fertilizer are [[nitrogen]], [[phosphorus]], and [[potassium]]. Plants need fairly large amounts of these nutrients and continuous growing and harvesting will deplete the soil of these if they are not replaced.
There are also many "micronutrients", or [[trace element]]s, that are sometimes included in prepared fertilizer mixes.
Fertilizers can be [[man-made]] from [[chemical]] or [[organic]] sources, or natural products (typically [[compost]]ed) added to the soil. Perhaps the most familiar of the "natural" fertilizers is animal [[manure]].