Using Nitrogen Smartly: Part 1

You can’t say nitrogen is the most important nutrient, as a deficiency of any of the essential nutrients will have a serious effect on your crop. However, the ‘temporary’ nature of the element and the many forms it takes do make it necessary to develop a good understanding of nitrogen.

- Bill Kerr

You can test for the presence of all the other nutrients and increase levels where necessary. Not so with nitrogen. Usually, it’s not even listed on soil analysis reports. This is because the level might have changed drastically in the time between taking soil samples and getting the report back.

Nitrogen acts as an accelerator. It can speed up growth (or slow it down) as required. This is another reason why you need to have a good understanding of it to get the most out of your crops. Some will benefit from a high level of nitrogen; add too much in others and yields will drop.