C, N, and P are the basic elements required for plant growth and regulation and their balance and stability plays an important role in many physiological functions. Ecological stoichiometry combines the first law of thermodynamics, the theory of evolution by natural selection, and the central dogma of molecular biology and has organically integrated biological studies at the scales of molecules, cells, species groups, communities, and ecosystems. C, N, and P stoichiometry of plants reflects a complex interplay that is the result of adaptation of plants to changing biological and abiotic environments during the process of evolution. Therefore, it is important to investigate the patterns of stoichiometric flexibility within and among plant species. Homeostasis and the growth rate hypothesis (GRH) have always been considered as the two important theories of ecological stoichiometry. Homeostasis is the ability of organisms to maintain relatively stable chemical compositions regardless of the environmental changes. The growth rate hypothesis considers that there is a close relationship between C:N:P stoichiometry and growth rate and it proposes that fast-growing organisms have low biomass C:P and N:P ratios. Fertilization by the addition of exogenous substances directly disturbs the migration of elements and circulation of crop in the farmland ecosystem. To further understand the response of crop growth to fertilization, in this study, we measured the cotton C, N, and P contents and the biomass of cotton plant in a pot experiment involving the addition of N and P fertilizers, conducted in the upper reaches of Tarim River. Our results showed that the mean content of C, N, and P was 388.7, 20.97, and 3.43 g/kg, respectively. The growth rate of cotton decreased with increasing leaf N:P or C:P, and the growth of cotton was consistent with GRH. Plants with higher H (H is the homeostasis index) have stronger homeostasis, that is, they have stronger control over element change. The values of H in cotton ranged from 1.02 to 5.28 for N and from 1.01 to 4.55 for P. Researchers have reported that homeostasis is gradually enhanced from prokaryotic to eukaryotic organisms. H of cotton was between those of prokaryotic and eukaryotic organisms, and was consistent with the results of earlier studies. The leaf N:P ratios have been widely used to indicate the availability and limitation of soil nutrients. Cotton growth was mainly restricted by N and P. For cotton, the value of leaf N:P was 13 at the maximum growth rate, which was the standard of judging the limiting element. It conformed to the law of demand for cotton growth.