Do Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and Potassium Fertilizers Do for Plants? Nitrogen in Fertilizer. In simple terms, nitrogen promotes plant growth. It is associated with leafy, vegetative growth. Phosphorus in Fertilizer. Phosphorus is involved in the metabolic processes responsible for transferring Each of these fundamental nutrients plays a key role in plant nutrition. Nitrogen is considered to be the most important nutrient, and plants absorb more nitrogen than any other element. Nitrogen is essential to in making sure plants are healthy as they develop and nutritious to eat after they’re harvested. Soil is a major source of nutrients needed by plants for growth. The three main nutrients are nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K). Together they make up the trio known as NPK. Other important nutrients are calcium, magnesium and sulfur.
