Applying fertilizer to plants is an essential task for healthy growth and optimal yields. Traditionally, fertilizers are applied manually, often once or twice during the crop season.
This process, while effective, demands significant time and human resources. But what if you don’t have the manpower or the time to manage manual fertilizer application?
Enter fertigation—an innovative method that combines fertilization with irrigation.
In this post, we’ll explore what fertigation is, its advantages and disadvantages, and the best irrigation systems to implement it effectively.
What Is a Fertigation?
Fertigation is a technique where you can apply fertilizers, soil amendments, and other water-soluble products in the irrigation system.
With this technique, you can save time and money, and the nutrition is effectively applied to the plant root and the soil efficiently, resulting in better yield.
Before delving into fertigation, consider both its advantages and disadvantages.
Here is the list of Advantages.
Fertigation Advantages
Improved Efficiency in Fertilizer Use
When applying fertilizer manually, there is a risk of fertilizer waste and uneven distribution, which can hinder plant growth.
However, in fertigation, fertilizers are dissolved and evenly distributed through the irrigation system. This results in less fertilizer wastage compared to spreading granular fertilizers on the soil surface.
Increased Yield
Fertigation involves the application of fertilizers and other water-soluble nutrients through the irrigation system, leading to increased biomass and improved plant growth.
Moreover, the ability to apply optimal rates of nutrients frequently and directly to the roots can increase crop productivity and yields.
Reduced Labor Cost
Manual fertilizer application typically requires a larger workforce, especially when dealing with extensive land areas.
In contrast, fertigation reduces labor costs as it allows you to work with a smaller labor force once the system is installed.
Reduce Environmental Impact
Modern fertilizers, with their compact size and chemical content, can have a negative environmental impact due to their increased water requirements and direct soil impact.
Fertigation comes as the savior, reducing water wastage by frequent application of small quantities of nutrients with irrigation and the soil applying fertilizer into the specific area, increasing the efficiency.
Suitable for Poor or Sandy Soil
Fertigation is highly effective in poor-quality soil that struggles to retain nutrients. It offers a solution to regularly nourish crops growing in such challenging soil conditions.
Work With Many Irrigation Systems
While we will explore the best irrigation techniques for fertigation in a later section, it’s important to note that most irrigation systems, including drip and sprinklers, can easily adapt to fertigation techniques.
Ok, these are some advantages of the fertigation method, now look at some disadvantages.
Disadvantages of Fertigation
Increase Irrigation System Complexities
The irrigation system has its own components and tools to work in a specific field and an environment.
The fertigation requires specialized equipment like injectors, tanks, piping and controls. This increases system cost and complexity compared to basic irrigation.
Uneven Distribution Of Nutrition
Improperly designed irrigation systems can result in uneven distribution of nutrients, with some areas receiving more nutrition than others.
This issue may also occur in the presence of leaks or faults within the irrigation system.
To mitigate this, meticulous system design and vigilant monitoring are necessary.
Higher Initial Investment
If you want to use fertigation, you’ll need to spend some extra money for purchase of specialized equipment in addition to standard irrigation tools.
You’ll even need to spend money on expensive components, including pumps, injectors, tanks, and controllers.
Beyond the initial investment, ongoing expenditures are also required for the periodic maintenance and monitoring of fertigation equipment.
Increased Risk of Clogging
Fertilizer salt and other chemicals sometimes can cause clogging in an irrigation system like drip irrigation.
Also, there is a risk of chemical reactions. For instance, calcium and magnesium react with fertilizers and form bicarbonates in the water. This leads to severe chemical clogging.
Proper filtration and regular system flushing are essential to prevent clogging.
Regular Maintenance and Technical Skills Needed
You’ll need to properly maintain the irrigation system to do fertigation.
Plus, you have to properly calibrate and operate fertigation equipment. Mistakes can lead to crop damage or decreased yields.
Difficult to Modify Mid-season
Once the fertigation system is up and running, it can be difficult to make significant changes to fertilizer mixes and rates during the crop cycle.
Now you know the advantages and disadvantages of fertigation techniques.
Here is the list of the best suitable irrigation techniques for fertigation.
Irrigation Techniques for Fertigation
Drip Irrigation
Drip irrigation is a popular irrigation system where water is delivered by a long hose with hole emitters attached to discharge the water in a predetermined pattern.
For fertigation, drip irrigation is the best choice because emitters provide slow and steady water drops or a stream on the root zone of the plant, making fertilizers absorbed quickly.
The downside of using drip irrigation is clogging, emitter clogging, which requires filtration and maintenance. Rodent damage can also disrupt drip tubing. Careful monitoring of system pressure and flow rates is needed to ensure uniform distribution.
Overhead Irrigation
Overhead irrigation, including sprinklers and rotary sprinklers that simulate rainfall, is well-suited for greenhouses.
With overhead irrigation, uniformity of water is achieved; this also makes sure that the fertilizer is evenly distributed
Drawbacks of overhead irrigation include high evaporation losses and interference from wind drift. Careful irrigation scheduling is needed to minimize runoff. Sprinkler placement and adjustment are also required for uniform coverage.
Micro Irrigation
Micro irrigation is a low-volume technique designed for smaller-scale applications.
Micro irrigation covers limited areas of 1-2 meters, it is suitable for small gardens, greenhouses, and farms, making it ideal for fertigation in these settings.
Micro irrigation facilitates fertigation in greenhouses, small farms, and gardens. The small scale also requires less sophisticated filtration and lower system pressure.
However, micro-irrigation is mostly suited to high value specialty crops due to the greater installation costs per irrigated area.
Ebb and Flow Fertigation System
Ebb and Flow or Flood and Drain irrigation method involving periodic flooding and draining of water and other nutrient solutions.
This system offers full control over the flooding and draining phases, making it easy to introduce fertilizers into the system.
Aeroponic Fertigation System
Aeroponic is a complex irrigation system that relies on mist delivery methods.
In this irrigation system, plants get nutrients and water in a dense mist, so no soil is needed.
These are all the irrigation techniques that we’ll use for fertigation.
Final Thoughts…
Fertigation is the best technique and can enhance crop nutrition and reduce nutrient losses when combined with the right irrigation method and management practices.
By understanding its benefits and limitations, you can choose the best irrigation system to suit your crops, soil type, and overall agricultural goals.
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