Nitrogen Fertilizers

• Nitrogen is an essential building block for plant anatomy. Plants grow in part by using protein to build new plant structures, and they would be unable to build these proteins were it not for nitrogen. Nitrogen also gives plants their green color. Therefore, soils that are lacking in nitrogen are very often amended with nitrogen-rich fertilizer to ensure that plants grown in the soil will grow to their full potential.
  
  

Phosphorus Fertilizers

• Phosphorus is also a key component in the proper functioning of plant anatomy. Phosphorus makes photosynthesis, the process by which plants convert sunlight into energy, possible. Phosphorus also plays a key role in the exhalation of oxygen by plants and the saving and transfer of stored energy inside plant vasculature. Phosphorus-containing fertilizer is added to soil when necessary to ensure healthy plants.
  
  

Consequences of Improper Usage of Nitrogen Fertilizers

• When a plant grows in a soil that does not have enough nitrogen in it, the growth of the plant is noticeably diminished. Leaves may wilt and defoliate, fruit-bearing plants will have poor yields and the overall structural integrity of the plant will be weakened. Contrarily, too much nitrogen in soil can compel bacteria and fungus to grow in the soil, the same bacteria and fungus that are disease agents of a laundry list of plant ailments. An overabundance of nitrogen in plant soil can even cause a toxic reaction in children and small animals that eat the leaves of that plant.
  
  

Consequences of Improper Usage of Phosphorus Fertilizers

• Using too much or too little phosphorus fertilizer also carries some important negative consequences. Phosphorus deficiencies in soil can lead to the same weakened growth as can a nitrogen deficiency, and a plant that lacks sufficient amounts of phosphorus may encounter difficulty reproducing as well. Too much phosphorus in soil can cause contamination of lakes and water systems if the soil is allowed to run off into lakes, storm drains, sewers and other water sources.