DeficiencymediumApr–Sep

Nitrogen deficiency

Stickstoff-Mangel

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How to spot it

Nitrogen deficiency arises when plants cannot take up enough plant available nitrogen from the soil, usually on exhausted or sandy ground. Because nitrogen is mobile within the plant, it moves the nutrient from old leaves into young ones, so the typical damage shows first on the lower, older leaves: an even, light green to yellow discolouration while the leaf veins mostly still stay green. Affected plants grow more weakly overall, stay smaller and yield less than healthy specimens. Where the shortage is severe the problem is especially quick to spot on cabbage, courgette or squash, in the form of pale, listless foliage.

Prevention

Work in plenty of ripe, well rotted compost or manure before planting, because hungry feeders such as tomato, cabbage, squash and sweetcorn need a lot of nitrogen over the season. Keep to a crop rotation and sow green manures such as phacelia or legumes after hungry feeders, as these enrich the soil again through natural nitrogen fixation. Use mulch layers made of already rotted material rather than fresh, woody clippings, since unrotted material draws additional nitrogen out of the soil. On sandy, free draining soils, spread the nutrient supply through organic layers and compost dressings over several small portions across the season, so that less is washed out.