Display omitted •Front-heavy and back-light fertilization mode (Mode 4) maximized stem and leaf biomasses.•The highest phytoremediation effectivity gained in Mode 4 due to the highest shoot biomass.•(NH4)2SO4 and CH4N2O showed the highest improvement roles in all application modes. Differently from the goal of fertilization in agricultural production to enhance the yield of seeds, the aim of present work focused on cadmium (Cd) phytoremediation is to increase the stem and leaf biomasses as much as possible due to they are the main organs of a hyperaccumulator extracting risk elements from soil. This experiment compared the effects of different nitrogen (N) application modes on Cd accumulation from soil by Solanum nigrum L. The results showed that stem and leaf biomasses of S. nigrum reached the maximum values with the N fertilizer application at Mode 4 (50 %: 40 %: 10 %, i.e. the front-heavy and back-light application of nitrogen fertilizer). In particular, application of N as (NH4)2SO4 and CH4N2O produced the greatest increases in S. nigrum biomasses compared to the control (CK2) with no N fertilizer. N concentration of S. nigrum and N fertilizer productivity under its different treatments were consistent with the above results. Similarly, Cd capacities were the highest in shoots of S. nigrum in Mode 4 either due to their Cd concentration without affected by N fertilizers. Thus, Mode 4 N application showed very important scientific merit for effective Cd phytoextraction in the real conditions.