Light

• Plants need light.sunlight awoken corn image by Micah Jared from Fotolia.com
  
  Light is an essential factor in the growth of most plants. Chlorophyll in plant cells converts light energy into chemical energy, which is stored for further use in compounds called NADPH and ATP.
  
  

Carbon Dioxide

• The air contains carbon dioxide.contrail image by Robert Kelly from Fotolia.com
  
  Carbon is the backbone of all the organic compounds that are important in plant growth. Plants derive carbon from the carbon dioxide in the air.
  
  

Water

• Rain and dew water plants.rain drops 3 image by Stanislav Halcin from Fotolia.com
  
  Water combines with carbon dioxide in photosynthesis to make glucose, which the plant uses in growth and respiration. Water also gives firmness to the plant's tissue, so that it does not wilt.
  
  

Minerals

• Minerals are essential factors in plant growth; nitrogen, phosphorous, magnesium and potassium are some of the most important minerals. Nitrogen and phosphorous are constituent elements of plant DNA; an atom of magnesium sits right in the center of the chlorophyll molecule.
  
  

Soil

• The soil contains minerals.outdoors image by FJ Medrano from Fotolia.com
  
  Most plants obtain their minerals from the soil. The soil also serves to anchor most plants.
  
  

Fertilizer and Organic Wastes

• Man can help plant growth by judiciously applying fertilizer and organic wastes to the soil in which plants grow. Both are rich in the minerals that the plants need.