diff --git a/hack/make-rules/test-cmd.sh b/hack/make-rules/test-cmd.sh
index dab33477e7e..56b7e61fa31 100755
--- a/hack/make-rules/test-cmd.sh
+++ b/hack/make-rules/test-cmd.sh
@@ -2168,12 +2168,25 @@ __EOF__
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{$deployment_image_field}}:{{end}}" "${IMAGE_DEPLOYMENT_R1}:"
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{$deployment_second_image_field}}:{{end}}" "${IMAGE_PERL}:"
   # Set the deployment's cpu limits
-  kubectl set resources deployment nginx-deployment --limits=cpu=100m "${kube_flags[@]}"
-  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.limits.cpu}}:{{end}}" "100m:"
-  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 1).resources.limits.cpu}}:{{end}}" "100m:"
+  kubectl set resources deployment nginx-deployment --limits=cpu=200m "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.limits.cpu}}:{{end}}" "200m:"
+  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 1).resources.limits.cpu}}:{{end}}" "200m:"
+  # Set the deployments memory limits without affecting the cpu limits
+  kubectl set resources deployment nginx-deployment --limits=memory=256Mi "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.limits.cpu}}:{{end}}" "200m:"
+  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.limits.memory}}:{{end}}" "256Mi:"
+  # Set the deployments resource requests without effecting the deployments limits
+  kubectl set resources deployment nginx-deployment --requests=cpu=100m,memory=256Mi "${kube_flags[@]}"
+  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.limits.cpu}}:{{end}}" "200m:"
+  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.limits.memory}}:{{end}}" "256Mi:"
+  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.requests.cpu}}:{{end}}" "100m:"
+  kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.requests.memory}}:{{end}}" "256Mi:"
+  # Set the deployments resource requests and limits to zero
+  kubectl set resources deployment nginx-deployment --requests=cpu=0,memory=0 --limits=cpu=0,memory=0 "${kube_flags[@]}"
   # Set a non-existing container should fail
   ! kubectl set resources deployment nginx-deployment -c=redis --limits=cpu=100m
   # Set the limit of a specific container in deployment
+  kubectl set resources deployment nginx-deployment --limits=cpu=100m "${kube_flags[@]}"
   kubectl set resources deployment nginx-deployment -c=nginx --limits=cpu=200m "${kube_flags[@]}"
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 0).resources.limits.cpu}}:{{end}}" "200m:"
   kube::test::get_object_assert deployment "{{range.items}}{{(index .spec.template.spec.containers 1).resources.limits.cpu}}:{{end}}" "100m:"
diff --git a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/set/set_resources.go b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/set/set_resources.go
index a95362a27bc..276d4b84267 100644
--- a/pkg/kubectl/cmd/set/set_resources.go
+++ b/pkg/kubectl/cmd/set/set_resources.go
@@ -159,7 +159,7 @@ func (o *ResourcesOptions) Complete(f cmdutil.Factory, cmd *cobra.Command, args
 func (o *ResourcesOptions) Validate() error {
 	var err error
 	if len(o.Limits) == 0 && len(o.Requests) == 0 {
-		return fmt.Errorf("you must specify an update to requests or limits or  (in the form of --requests/--limits)")
+		return fmt.Errorf("you must specify an update to requests or limits (in the form of --requests/--limits)")
 	}
 
 	o.ResourceRequirements, err = kubectl.HandleResourceRequirements(map[string]string{"limits": o.Limits, "requests": o.Requests})
@@ -178,7 +178,19 @@ func (o *ResourcesOptions) Run() error {
 			containers, _ := selectContainers(spec.Containers, o.ContainerSelector)
 			if len(containers) != 0 {
 				for i := range containers {
-					containers[i].Resources = o.ResourceRequirements
+					if len(o.Limits) != 0 && len(containers[i].Resources.Limits) == 0 {
+						containers[i].Resources.Limits = make(api.ResourceList)
+					}
+					for key, value := range o.ResourceRequirements.Limits {
+						containers[i].Resources.Limits[key] = value
+					}
+
+					if len(o.Requests) != 0 && len(containers[i].Resources.Requests) == 0 {
+						containers[i].Resources.Requests = make(api.ResourceList)
+					}
+					for key, value := range o.ResourceRequirements.Requests {
+						containers[i].Resources.Requests[key] = value
+					}
 					transformed = true
 				}
 			} else {