Fertigation
Applying Liquid Fertilizer through the Irrigation System By Bob Mac Donald | CMCA, AMS, PCAM, Cedar Management
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few years ago I had the opportunity to visit Houston, Texas, for my PCAM case study. At the time, Texas was dealing with severe drought and the use of water was severely restricted. To my surprise, the grounds were green; this was clearly unexpected. During my short stay in Houston, I was introduced to the process of “fertigation.” Because the theme of this edition of the magazine is sustainability, I would like to introduce many of you to this practice; one that is starting to take hold in northern states. Before making additional comments on fertigation, I would like to share the fact that the property I visited had recently installed a sophisticated computer-controlled digital irrigation system that it uses in the fertigation process. This system accurately controls the amount of water diverted to each irrigation head and is the vehicle for the application of the fertilizer. In Minnesota, few community associations have high-tech irrigation systems but they do have a need to reduce fertilization costs. Therefore, the intent of this article is to focus on fertigation as it relates to the application of fertilizer and not the savings that might be achieved with a sophisticated irrigation system.
lawn needs to eat every day too! Fertigation ‘spoon-feeds’ your lawn, resulting in a healthy greener lawn, a safe environment, and reduced costs. Frequent and small fertilizer applications are more efficiently utilized by the lawn and less nutrients find their way into ponds, lakes, and groundwater.”1 Fertigation, besides reducing fertilization costs, may also improve the health of a lawn. According to an article on the EMCO sprinkler company website, “Fertigation supposedly reduces the need for pesticides and fungicides. Stressed or unhealthy plants act as magnets to pest populations. Failure to maintain optimal nutrient levels during early summer results in substantially more disease.” The “feast or famine” feeding cycle of dry fertilizer application can promote conditions in the soil and plant that make plants more susceptible to disease and insect infestation and thereby increase the requirement for pesticides and fungicides. Insects reproduce more rapidly on plants with high nitrogen levels, which can be caused by feast and famine feeding cycle. “Fertigation delivers the nutrients in small, metered amounts so the plant receives the optimal amount of nutrients and the feeding of the plant is very efficient and effective while at the same time reducing the amount of fertilizer bulk.”2
“Fertigation, besides reducing fertilization costs, may also improve the health of a lawn.”
As noted in the title of this article fertigation is the application of liquid fertilizer through an irrigation system. According to the experts, “In semi-drought conditions, a fertigation system can save time and money and it promotes healthier turf besides being environmentally friendly.” What I saw in Texas supports this contention. In fact, I was amazed by what I both saw and learned about the process. While doing some research about the type and cost of equipment required to install a Fertigation system, I learned that Israel has been using this method to apply fertilizer for a number of years with great success. And, the method and products they use vary from crop to crop. If you have the time and interest you should view the videos on the HAIFA website; they are very educational: www.haifa-group.com/knowledge_center/fertilization_methods/ fertigation/
Dr. Vaughn (the Lawn Doctor) states, “Your sprinkler irrigation system can do more for you than just irrigate.” By applying fertilizer with fertigation, “your lawn can be treated 70 times per season.” This is in contrast to traditional application methods where association lawns may be treated 3 to 7 times per season. Dr. Vaughn goes on to say, “Daily fertilizer applications ensure the lawn has a steady supply of nutrients for uptake. You eat every day; your 22
Minnesota Communit y Living
Fertigation is the “new frontier” in irrigation and I would be remiss in not mentioning the fact that it has its detractors, as does all new technology. Some vendors consider fertigation to be the only method of fertilization needed while others still consider it secondary to the conventional granular method. Another concern has to do with the effect it has on irrigation heads. Because the process of fertigation injects liquid or water soluble fertilizers into the irrigation system, some contend that the heads are prone to clogging. Clearly, I am not an expert on fertigation or irrigation — but my trip to Houston piqued my interest in this new technology and I have mentioned it to a few board members at associations I manage where the topic of sustainability has come up. As managers of community associations, we should continually strive to investigate technology that will benefit our clients. Thus my ongoing interest in this process. 1. http://lawnsbydrvaughan.com/services/fertigation/ 2. http://www.emcosprinkler.com/fertigation_why.html