Plant Uses of Nitrogen (N): Nitrogen is a macro nutrient and used in a variety of ways. Here are some of the major roles that Nitrogen plays:

  • Nitrogen is responsible for the leafy growth of plants, and the production of chlorophyll.

Nitrogen-DeficientHow to identify Nitrogen deficiency: Significant deficiencies of nitrogen can be identified as:

  • Yellowing of the entire leaf area especially in older growth

Organic sources of Nitrogen:

Manure – Composted manure is the safest way to apply. Here are the 3 types that I use.

Cow: Easy to find and the cheapest of the manures.
Horse: This manure smells the best, but I do notice more weeds from the horse manure than I do from cow or chicken. As an added bonus we venture down to the local stable, as they sell bags of composted horse manure, with my kids and say “hello” to the horses.
Chicken: Stinks worse than the others, this also seemed to raise the pH of my soil, so I went back to horse and cow manure.

Compost – Make your own or pickup from the store. A great soil amendment.