How to Choose the Right Fertilizer for Your Drip Irrigation System
Whether it's a large-scale commercial farm or a small backyard garden, gardening requires great effort. From preparing the soil and planting seeds or transplants to installing efficient irrigation systems like drip irrigation, every step is crucial to ensure healthy and productive plants. Fertilizing is a key component of this process. Fertilizing through a drip irrigation system is known as fertigation. It uses drip irrigation technologies to supply water and nutrients directly to plant roots. Once you know what fertilizer to use and how to insert it into the injector, fertigation is simple.
Read on to learn about how to choose the best fertilizer for your drip irrigation system and look at popular injection methods, including Ez-Flo injectors, Mazzei systems, and Dema MixRite.
So, let's get started!
Things You Need to Know Before Fertilizing through Your Drip Irrigation System
Fertigation, which involves applying fertilizer via an irrigation system, can be a little time-saver. However, if not done right, it might cause damage to your drip irrigation system.
Here's why: Fertilizers usually contain salts that can clog nozzles and cause pipe buildup, potentially causing your system to fail. Furthermore, they can change the pH of the water, making it more acidic and potentially harmful.
To avoid such problems, use a reliable fertilizer and check the pH of the water before applying it. Also, flush the system regularly to remove any salt or sediment buildup. Taking some measures can keep your drip irrigation system in good shape while reaping the benefits of fertigation.
Pros and Cons of Fertilizing through Drip Irrigation System
Pros
Precise Nutrient Control: Fertigation controls nutrient dosage according to plant and soil needs. It's adaptable to both traditional and hydroponic setups, outperforming traditional methods.
Reduced Leaching: By providing the right amount of nutrients and water, fertigation minimizes the risk of leaching.
Efficient Resource Use: This system reduces waste and enables better resource management by controlling nutrients and fertilizer amounts. Fertigation eliminates fertilizer waste through traditional watering and manual mixing.
Cons
Increased Maintenance: Fertigation systems require more maintenance, including daily checks for leaks and consistent fertilizer feeding. Regular cleaning is crucial to avoid contaminants that can disrupt nutrient delivery.
Higher Installation Costs: Installing a fertigation system involves additional costs for specialized hardware like control units and sensors, making it more expensive, especially for larger operations.
Can You Fertilize through Your Drip Irrigation System at Home?
Fertigation, the process of combining fertilizer and irrigation, is more commonly used in large-scale agriculture than home gardens. Here's why:
Fertigation is most effective when used with accurate drip irrigation systems. Setting up such a system at home might be difficult and expensive.
Using fertilizers in irrigation systems requires an expensive backflow preventer to keep chemicals out of your water supply.
Many home gardens have sprinkler systems, which can cause excessive runoff and potentially cause algae and weed development.
Chemical overspray can damage cars and surrounding properties if home sprinklers are utilized for fertigation.
Home gardens often have a variety of plant types with varying nutrient requirements, making precision fertigation challenging.
Fertigation requires complex and costly automation. Manual mixing may damage plants.
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Know What Fertilizer to Use
Fertilizers come in various forms, including liquid, granular, and soluble. Liquid fertilizers are frequently used with drip irrigation systems because they are easy to mix and apply. Water-soluble fertilizers, particularly those with less than 0.5% insoluble impurities, are also a good choice because they readily dissolve and can be injected into the irrigation system.
Water-soluble NPK fertilizers are an excellent approach to providing plants with the nutrients they require for healthy growth. They contain a readily dissolved combination of Nitrogen (N), Phosphorus (P), and Potassium (K). You can incorporate a fertilizer injector into your drip irrigation system to distribute the fertilizer evenly. This method lets you control watering and fertilizing from a single system.
How to Inject Fertilizers into the Drip Irrigation System
Fertilizer injections are commonly used in large-scale agriculture, small-scale gardening, and landscaping due to reliable and user-friendly dispenser units. Here are some of the common injectors you can use to fertilize through your drip irrigation system.
EZ-FLO Fertilizer Injectors
How to use: These versatile fertilizer injectors are easy to use. Fill the tank with the fertilizer of your choice, whether it's dry or liquid concentrate. Adjust the injection rate with the valve to control the fertilizer concentration. The injector can be connected to a faucet directly with the provided hose bib adapter or to a main water line with an installation coupler.
Ensure that your irrigation system meets the flow requirements, as EZ-FLO injectors require a minimum flow of 120 GPH and can operate down to 7.5 GPH with flow-restriction discs provided. For individuals who need to fertilize multiple areas, the Faucet Switching Kit allows you to switch the tank from one faucet to another without disconnecting any pipes.
Mazzei Fertilizer Injectors
How to Use: Mazzei injectors are Venturi injectors designed for commercial use. They feature a reliable suction mechanism that draws liquid fertilizer from various containers. They can be connected directly to a main water line or through a bypass for minimal flow restriction. To ensure the best performance, choose a Mazzei injector that matches the flow rate (GPH) of your irrigation system.
A large injector won't draw fertilizer, while a small one could limit the flow of the system. A 25% pressure difference between the incoming and outgoing levels is required for the Mazzei to operate properly. This difference creates the vacuum effect required to draw fertilizer.
Dema MixRite
How to Use: Dema MixRite provides very accurate pump-style injectors that are simple to use and maintain. These injectors accurately meter fertilized solutions into your irrigation system, and they run entirely on the power of the water flowing through them. They don't require complex electrical setups. Choose the MixRite model that corresponds to the fertilizer dilution concentration (mix ratio) you want for the fertilizer or additive you're injecting into your irrigation system. There are several options available to accommodate both high-water flow and smaller-scale applications.
The Bottom Line
In the world of agriculture and gardening, the right choice of fertilizer is essential. From small-scale gardens to expansive commercial operations, the combination of the right fertilizer and irrigation system is a key to success.
And when it comes to effectively providing those nutrients, a suitable drip irrigation system combined with the right injector can make all the difference. Remember that it's not just about convenience; it's about making the most of your resources, conserving water, and, eventually, promoting healthier, more productive crops.
“Water-soluble fertilizers work just as well as granular, and are in many ways easier and more beneficial.”
Nah-nah-nana-nah-nah, hope you’re having real fun. If your garden is anywhere near Minnesota, and you’ve pledged your allegiance to only using water-soluble fertilizers (Peter’s, Miracle-Gro, etc.) you could have used the stuff every two weeks starting in late April and still not fertilized a (non) bloomin’ thing. Been a little rainy.
I don’t want to come off as a complete granular snob — I use Peter’s to fertilize my containers, and splash it on big beds of annuals, why not? But this heretofore extremely wet season is a good example of why it’s hard to beat granular fertilizers scratched in around perennials, vegetables, trees and shrubs.
Water-soluble fertilizers only work so long as the water remains around the root zone. Well, plants don’t snort it up the second it arrives, they like to graze. Meaning that when it rains every day like it has been, the water-soluble fertilizer gets washed through the root zone, particularly of shallow-rooted annuals and perennials.
Luckily I gave my trees and shrubs the proper amount of granular fertilizer around the start of May, meaning they have been gently and purposefully fertilized during this continuing monsoon season. I could go out there right now and dump gallons of Miracid around the evergreens, and it would be history by the time the skies dump buckets of rain again tonight.
Granular fertilizers are a type of soil additive. Scratching them in with a hand claw loosens the soil, and breaks topsoil tension. The granular sits in the soil and releases a little bit of N-P-K every time the plant is watered, or after a rain. One treatment typically lasts about a month, though there are season-long, time-release granulars also available to try.
Water-soluble “plant food” is an adrenaline rush of nutrients, and like so many drugs, the effects wear off far too soon. Plants become junkies, waiting for their next hit. And if fertilizing means you have to water, as is the case with water-soluble fertilizers, what exactly do you do when your soil is too wet in the first place?
What about the benefits of “foliar feeding” touted by the water-soluble manufacturers (well, one, anyway)? There is some credence to their claims when it comes to annuals. Aside from that, the differences are negligible. Plants draw a huge majority of the nutrients they need through their roots, not their needles and leaves.
And are water-soluble fertilizers easier, more convenient that granular? I’ve already stated that I use them on my containers, and for big beds of annuals. Well, I’m picking the fertilizer type that best fits the situation. Annuals in containers need constant moisture, and aggressive feeding. There isn’t much soil surface after I’m done potting up a container. Big beds of annuals are dicey to get into, after I’ve planted the annuals. All these reasons make water-soluble fertilizers the best choice.
But when it come to trees, shrubs, my perennials (those that I fertilize), and your vegetables, I’m sold on granular fertilizers, and use both organic and synthetic.
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