Nitrogen - N - The Element of Growing

This one is the most important one, no doubt about it.

Along with potassium, nitrogen is one of both elements the plant needs in the biggest amounts.

It is an important part of organic acids structure and participates in enzymatic processes.

Thus, it's part of the plants structure.

Nitrogen is the only element the plant can absorb both as a cation (A positively charged molecule) and as an anion (A negative molecule): it can absorb it as NH4+ or as NO3-.

Generally speaking, plants prefer amonium (NH4+) due to less energy needed in order to transform it to NH2, the molecule parting with the organic acids.

BUT! because of the acidity that can develop in the root cells in some cases, it might turn into ammonia (NH3) which is a toxic molecule!

This happens when the sugars absorption ratio in the plant is too small relating the amount of nitrogen absorbed by the plant (e.g. when radiation is low and the plant can't have enough photosynthesis.)

In nature, nitrogen goes through a full cycle: the nitrogen cycle.

The part of it that is most important regarding fertilization is:

Nitrification - a 2-phase process where ammonium (NH4+) becomes nitrate (NH3-). This happens in the soil, and is affected by environmental characteristics:

Temperature - the lower it gets - the slower the process gets.

Oxygen - this process requires oxygen to oxidize the ammonium (So, if the soil is soaked, there's no oxygen).

pH - as most chemical processes.

Soil structure.

And salinity.

pH - it also works vice-versa: using ammonium as an N fertilizer will lower the pH in the rhyzosphere (The area near the roots.)

Another very popular molecule that uses as nitrogen fertilizer for plants is UREA - which transforms to ammonium (and then nitrate, as describes above).

The absence of nitrogen is very visible on plants - the plant will be pale green, and growth will be inhibited.

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