Why Is Soil So Important? Soil is important for plants because it holds roots, stores nutrients, and provides support for plants. Detective Le Plant is searching for secrets in the soil. Help him uncover the ingredients of soil that are important to plant growth. What do all living things need in order to live? Clue: Think about what you need to live. Do plants need the same things? Which of these things do plants get from the soil? What part or parts of the soil do you think contain these things? Now let's find the names of the three most important nutrients that plants get from the soil. Detective LePlant has also scrambled some other plant words. Print this page and unscramble the words. Click here to check your answers.