Nitrogen is a necessary nutrient for plant growth, development and reproduction contempt nitrogen is one of the most abundant elements on the earth, and nitrogen deficiency is the most common nutritional problem that affects plants globally. 

Nitrogen is the component of the chlorophyll molecules, which enables the plant to capture sunlight energy by photosynthesis driving plant growth and grain yield.

Nitrogen plays a significant role within the plants to ensure energy is available when and where the plant needs it to optimise yield.

Importance of Nitrogen for Garden Soil-

Every plant requires three primary nutrients. Nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These are also abbreviated as NPK. Without these three your plants can’t be grown up.

Nitrogen is so vital because it is a major component of chlorophyll for absorbing sunlight energy for photosynthesis.

It is also a major component of amino acids, the building blocks of protein. 

Nitrogen may be found in different forms. Nitrogen is available in the leaves, grains, plant tissues and roots of plants. Nitrogen may function as part of the plant structure or be involved in the life process of plants.

Symptoms of Nitrogen Deficiency in the Plants –

Plants can’t tell us that they required nitrogen but they must show some signs or symptoms.

Nitrogen deficiency appears as a general pale yellowish-green plant with slow growth. If the deficiency persists plants remain pale green, have reduced growth and stand appear thin.

 Most of the signs appear early in the growing season, and if caught early you will be able to fix the problem and your plants will survive.

Some of the symptoms are shown below –

1. Stunted growth
2. Small leaves
3. The lower leaves turn yellow first and might fall off the plant.
4. Yellowing gradually creep up the plants
5. Flowers are smaller than average and must die faster
6. The fruits of the plants are small and lower in quality
7. The whole plant looks pale to yellowish 
8. Early senescence of older leaves
9. Increased root growth and stunted shoot results in a low shoot/root ratio

How Do You Know That Your Plants Requires Nitrogen –

Although plants showed their symptoms of deficiency of nitrogen some signs you have seen in your garden might be for other reasons.

In this case, you must have to take a test of your garden soil.

So how you will figure out whether your garden soil needs nitrogen or not?

There are two ways to check –

1. You have to go to the nearest laboratory with the sample of garden soil. They will charge you a nominal price, and do the test of your garden soil.
2.  You can use a test kit, these test kits are not as accurate as a lab test. But these kits are most practical, in my garden, I am using the luster leaf 1601 rapitest test kit. You can take a maximum of 40 tests from 1 kit. 

Natural Sources of Nitrogen –

Here are the following sources of nitrogen – 

1.  Leaves –

You must have some trees nearby your house or maybe in your backyard. If yes, then you have a great source of nitrogen. Leaves add nutrients to the soil, increase soil aeration and also help with soil drainage.

2. Alfa-alfa Meal-

Have you ever gone through your local garden store? If yes, then you must see their alfalfa meal. This alfa-alfa meal is the source huge source of nitrogen. Alfa-alfa meal/fertilizer is ideal for tomatoes, green leafy, corn, cannabis, and brassicas (i.e. cabbage, broccoli, brussels sprouts, roses and other nitrogen-loving plants.

3. Bone and blood meal – 

Alfa-alfa meal is a good source of nitrogen but less than bone and blood meal. The bone and blood meal provides an excellent combination of natural nitrogen and phosphate. You can visit your local garden store you must see there, bone meal and blood meal. Using the blood meal is one of the quickest ways to add nitrogen to your garden. Both bone and blood meal are high in nitrogen and need to be applied appropriately to your plants.

4. Fish Emulsion –

Fish emulsion fertilizer is a type of organic fertilizer, produced for use in garden plants and vegetables. It is made from byproducts of the fish industry, with a typical nutrient ratio of 5:1:1, meaning it is high in nitrogen and therefore particularly beneficial for green leafy plants and lawns.

Not only do fish emulsions contain nitrogen but it also has tons of other vitamins and trace minerals that your plants need to thrive. If you look at the bottle of fish emulsion, most have an NPK ratio of 5:1:1 and it also lists other micronutrients that your plants need like:

1. Calcium 
2. Magnesium 
3. Chlorine 
4. Sulphur
5. sodium 

5. Human Urine –

Human urine is rich in nitrogen and phosphorus and has been used for generations to help plants grow, urine can be used as a fertilizer without fear it will fuel the spread of antibiotic resistance, Researchers have revealed, although they urge caution against using fresh bodily waste to water crops.

In general, urine contains 5% nitrogen by weight, but it has to be diluted before applying it to your plants. Dilute the urine using the ratio of 5 parts water to 1 part of the urine.

6. Manure –

Manure is a well-known and huge source of plant nutrients Nitrogen(N), Phosphorus(P) and Potassium(K). Manure from rabbits, cows, horses, goats, sheep and chickens is my favourite natural nitrogen source. In addition, manure returns organic matter and other nutrients such as calcium, magnesium and sulfur to the soil building soil fertility and quality.

7. Manure Tea –

Manure tea is a nutrient-rich confection for your garden that is easy to make and apply

1. How to make manure tea –

For making manure tea, you only need a bucket, a piece of cloth/pillow cover, manure and water in double qty of manure.

Fill the pillow cover with manure and put it into the bucket, pour the water into the pillow cover. let it infused for a day or two. You have to do only is stir it once or twice a day. Your manure tea bag is ready, just lift the bag out of the bucket, and squeeze it to ensure that all of that manure goodness ends up in your tea you can use the used manure in the compost pile.

2. How to use – 

Manure tea can be applied as a foliar feed or directly to the soil around the plants to use it as a manure tea, strain it well to remove solids, dilute it to the colour of weak tea, and add it to the top and undersides of the foliage on your garden plants. 

8. Coffee Grounds –

Coffee grounds may be used in the garden fresh and composted and contain around 5% nitrogen by weight. If you daily make a pot of coffee, you have a great source of organic matter right at your fingertips.

They also contain magnesium, calcium, potassium and other trace minerals.

9. Cover Crops –

Cover crops can be used to produce nitrogen, planting cover crops in your garden is a great way to add more nitrogen to your garden soil. Cover crops are sometimes called green manure.

Growing cover crops improves your soil simply by gardening in the soil. Then, fill the cover crops into the ground at the end of the growing season, so it decomposes in the soil, adding more nutrients.

10. Grass Clipping –

Do you know how to use grass clipping in the garden? Grass clipping contains a ratio of 4:1:2 of NPK, which can greatly benefit the plants in your garden. Using the clipping in the yard will reduce the need for nitrogen fertiliser and act as effective mulch, improving the soil quality. Grass clippings work as a mulch as well, gradually decomposing into the soil. This is a much slower way to work to make your soil better, in general, this is a free method.

11. Planting Beans –

When planting beans, you add nitrogen to the soil without doing any work or fertilisers.

Gardeners can feed their families and enrich the soil by growing legumes, such as green beans, soybeans, lentils and peas. Legume roots produce their own nitrogen, which is a major fertiliser nutrient needed by all plants for growth. 

Conclusion ➖

So guys here you read how necessary nitrogen is for plants, which you can find from natural sources.

Mother nature gives us everything which we require. Finding organic sources of nitrogen is easier than you might think, you have to look around yourself.