Final answer:
Adding 'plant food' to potted geraniums provides essential minerals and nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, necessary for various plant processes and overall health.
Step-by-step explanation:
When you add "plant food" to your potted geraniums, you are actually providing the plant with minerals and other essential nutrients necessary for their growth and development. The soil plays a crucial role in plant growth by offering physical support, water, heat, oxygen, and a reservoir of nutrients. Nutrient uptake by plants is facilitated by the soil as roots absorb minerals dissolved in water.
Important macronutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and sulfur, along with micronutrients like iron, manganese, and zinc, are provided by plant food. These nutrients aid in various plant processes including protein synthesis, chlorophyll production, cell division, and energy transfer. Even though carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen are mainly obtained from the atmosphere, the remaining essential elements come from the soil. Thus, 'plant food' enriches the soil with these essential elements that are required for healthy plant growth.