Open AccessSenna macranthera has great natural occurrence, with potential use in the recovery of degraded areas. However, there is need for information on the nutrition of native forest species. In that sense, the objectives of this study were to evaluate the effect of doses of N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S on growth and quality indices of seedlings of Senna macranthera and to determine their recommended doses. This study was carried out in a greenhouse, using a Red Yellow Argisol, removed from the layer below 20 cm depth, as substratum. The experiment was designed in a Baconian Matrix, and three doses of the six macronutrients and two additional treatments were evaluated, one with reference doses (fertilizer used by default for native species) and the other one without the addition of nutrients. An entirely casualized design was adopted, with four repetitions. The morphologic parameters and quality indices of seedlings were analyzed. Through orthogonal contrasts, a significant response of all the variables studied was verified in relation to the macronutrients applied. The species was most demanding of P and K in comparison to the other macronutrients, and the recommended doses were of 600 mg dm-3 of P and 200 mg dm-3 of K. It is recommended that further studies with lower doses of the nutrients N, Ca, Mg and S be carried out, since, according to this study, the best doses for these nutrients were found for the original soil used as substrate and the lowest dose of the applied treatment.