Organic Fertigation? - Page 3

Cole_Robbie · October 1, 2014

I have AC power wired to the adjacent greenhouse. My tomatoes and garden are in a high tunnel a few feet away. I have not wired to it yet, but that not entirely unfeasible. Even a drop cord would work.

Worth1 · October 1, 2014

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cole_Robbie

I have AC power wired to the adjacent greenhouse. My tomatoes and garden are in a high tunnel a few feet away. I have not wired to it yet, but that not entirely unfeasible. Even a drop cord would work.

Then I honestly think one of the AC powered controllers would be better.

I would suggest this, it is an expandable 4 station controller up to 22 stations and it is for outside use.
Once you have it set up you will be surprised at other things you can or want to do with it.
These things are easy to wire up all you need is one common wire and one station wire.
So if you want 4 valves all you need is five wires.
You can buy the wire at HD or Lowes in the sprinkler section.

Worth
http://www.sprinklerwarehouse.com/Ra...-p/esp-4me.htm

Cole_Robbie · May 25, 2015

My EZ Flo quit on me. Here's my new idea for organic fertigation.

I was thinking of getting the biggest syringe I can find, either a meat injector or one for livestock, and using that to manually inject a bucket of organic ferts, one plant site at a time. It sounds tedious, but I don't think it would take that long.

I doubt I can find a needle long enough. I will probably have to modify it somehow, like JB Welding a tv antenna piece on the end. My soil is very soft; it doesn't have to be sharp at all.

I'm looking at products on kelpforless.com , specifically liquid kelp extract, organic cal-mag, potassium sulphate, and their "extreme blend" product, which is a mix of humic/fulvic acids and amino acids. I have some bat guano already. I have a little greensand, but I'm not sure it would flow through my syringe. I'd also probably mix in some blackstrap molasses. Everything is expensive, but $100 or so should get me through the summer.

zeuspaul · May 25, 2015

The fertilizer solution chart (pdf) at Peaceful Valley is a good resource for water soluble organic fertilizers. There is a column for fertigation suitable fertilizers. They also have a good selection of water soluble organic fertilizers.

I installed Rainbird dripline in part because of the 120 mesh required which is more forgiving than other driplines I checked into. It also has a better (wider) pressure spec than some others.

I inject Vitamin C to neutralize chlorine. The reaction is almost instantaneous. I use a crystalline form available at Trader Joes. It is cheaper than tablets and dissolves very quickly. It doesn't take very much.

I installed a 140 mesh disc filter because disc is supposed to be better at removing organics than a sieve filter.

I haven't injected organics yet. The benefits of using the drip system based on the watering technique alone are notable. I have now started injecting synthetic fertilizer. My tomato plants have never looked better.

October 1, 2014	#31
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	I have AC power wired to the adjacent greenhouse. My tomatoes and garden are in a high tunnel a few feet away. I have not wired to it yet, but that not entirely unfeasible. Even a drop cord would work.

May 25, 2015	#33
Cole_Robbie Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jun 2012 Location: Illinois, zone 6 Posts: 8,407	My EZ Flo quit on me. Here's my new idea for organic fertigation. I was thinking of getting the biggest syringe I can find, either a meat injector or one for livestock, and using that to manually inject a bucket of organic ferts, one plant site at a time. It sounds tedious, but I don't think it would take that long. I doubt I can find a needle long enough. I will probably have to modify it somehow, like JB Welding a tv antenna piece on the end. My soil is very soft; it doesn't have to be sharp at all. I'm looking at products on kelpforless.com , specifically liquid kelp extract, organic cal-mag, potassium sulphate, and their "extreme blend" product, which is a mix of humic/fulvic acids and amino acids. I have some bat guano already. I have a little greensand, but I'm not sure it would flow through my syringe. I'd also probably mix in some blackstrap molasses. Everything is expensive, but $100 or so should get me through the summer.

May 25, 2015	#34
zeuspaul Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2007 Location: North County, San Diego Posts: 419	The fertilizer solution chart (pdf) at Peaceful Valley is a good resource for water soluble organic fertilizers. There is a column for fertigation suitable fertilizers. They also have a good selection of water soluble organic fertilizers. I installed Rainbird dripline in part because of the 120 mesh required which is more forgiving than other driplines I checked into. It also has a better (wider) pressure spec than some others. I inject Vitamin C to neutralize chlorine. The reaction is almost instantaneous. I use a crystalline form available at Trader Joes. It is cheaper than tablets and dissolves very quickly. It doesn't take very much. I installed a 140 mesh disc filter because disc is supposed to be better at removing organics than a sieve filter. I haven't injected organics yet. The benefits of using the drip system based on the watering technique alone are notable. I have now started injecting synthetic fertilizer. My tomato plants have never looked better.