What is Fertigation?

In the vegetable garden as well as at home, many gardeners use fertilizers to help their plants grow.

Beyond traditional soluble or slow-release fertilizers, there is another way to give them a little boost: Fertigation .

However, is this good for all plants? Who is this gardening practice suitable for? Can you fertilize your garden?

How does Fertigation work?

Fertigation simply combines fertilization with irrigation . It is most often used by vegetable growers who mix fertilizer into their irrigation system to increase their yields. The goal is to effectively address nutrient deficiencies in crops and to improve the soil . Hydroponic crops, for example, often use this method.

Large tanks of liquid fertilizer are then connected to injectors that dilute them in water. Fertilization then takes different forms: misting , drip irrigation , submersion irrigation, etc.

This is a slightly different practice from chemigation . The latter involves adding chemicals to the irrigation system: pesticides, herbicides, and fungicides. Both methods allow for microdosing of the products used.

Is fertigation good for nature?

This innovative watering method helps reduce your water consumption and limit soil erosion . Optimized fertigation aims to optimize crop watering, without wasting your mixture. A good fertigator will calibrate his mixture to match his plant's needs as closely as possible, and will avoid over-fertilizing and wasting his work.

It will all depend on your state of mind of course ;)

Can Fertigation Be Bad for Plants?

Adding fertilizer to your watering system is, of course, meant to benefit your hardwood . Some plant species require certain nutrients that are not available in your local environment. But again, as with the ecological issue, it all depends on your practices.

The health of your plant will encourage you to moderate your supplements. Too much fertilizer could, for example, burn your foliage .

Can you fertigate your garden?

This practice is generally reserved for professionals. It requires a good knowledge of soil composition and its needs.

From a material point of view, certain equipment is also necessary. Without these, it becomes complicated to succeed in your dosages and to distribute the nutrients equally between all your plant bases ( tank , pump & injector ).

Caution: A clumsy fertilizer spray that flies away could damage your vehicle's paint. Using a greenhouse can partially solve this problem.

If you are an individual, why not start supplementing your legumes by spreading organic compost ?

What type of fertilizer should I use?

Nitrogen fertilizers:

Urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, calcium ammonium sulfate, calcium ammonium nitrate are used as nitrogen fertilizers in drip micro-irrigation .

Phosphorus fertilizers:

The use of phosphorus can cause precipitation of phosphate salts. Phosphoric acid and monoammonium phosphate appear to be more suitable for fertigation.

K fertilizer:

The application of K fertilizers does not cause salt precipitation. Potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, and monopotassium phosphate are found in drip fertigation.

Micronutrients:

Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu, B, Mo can be used as micronutrients in drip fertigation.