The process of applying fertilizer with irrigation is referred to as fertigation. According to Mike Straumietis, agriculture relies heavily on modern processes as traditional techniques are uneconomical, often harming the local ecosystem. For farmers looking to streamline their agricultural processes while having favorable harvests, fertigation is the way to go.

Getting Started on Irrigation

Whether small or large, every farming system uses fertilizers and some form of irrigation. Drip irrigation is considered among the most prominent systems for fertigation in fresh market vegetable production. Also referred to as trickle irrigation or micro irrigation, this system applies water directly into the soil at a slow pace.

Drip irrigation generally consumes 50 percent less water than furrow or overhead irrigation. Compared to the efficiency of sprinkler systems that sit between 50 to 70 percent, drip irrigation has an efficiency rate of over 90 percent.

Such a high-efficiency percentage is due to the drip irrigation system targeting areas in the soil where water is required. In addition, targeting the soil allows water to seep into the soil before it runs off or evaporates.

Fertigation: A Farmer’s All-Season Helper

Fertigation pertains to the administration of nutrients and fertilizers into a farming system through an irrigation network. Farmers can apply fertilizers and nutrients to their crops throughout the year with this system.

According to Advanced Nutrients Founder and CEO Mike Straumietis, nutrients in the soluble form are ready for plant consumption following an application, giving farmers better command over nutrient availability to the harvest. Through fertigation, farmers can apply nutrients more efficiently and effectively, as they can schedule applications based on their general nutrient management strategy for their crops.

Fertigation lessens the possibility of compaction during seasons where foot traffic and the use of tractors are needed. It is incredibly helpful for dissolved nutrients, such as nitrogen, that quickly drain. Unlike other methods, fertigation isn’t greatly affected by weather conditions.

A Primer on Nutrient Management Plans

Whenever fertigation is utilized, it must be integrated into an overall nutrient management plan for fields and crops. Mike Straumietis shares that the complete nutrients administered via fertigation, along with other fertilizer applications, must not surpass 100 percent of the projected total nutrient application amount.

Farmers use various units to identify the quantity of nutrients administered to or required by a crop throughout a growing season. These units include lb/plant, lb/A, lb/sq.ft., and lb/linear bed foot. In addition, many growers identify application rates established on the concentration of the nutrients in a particular solution.

The Advantages of Fertigation

In areas where weather conditions are a problem for the entire year, fertigation helps farmers and their crops become independent from local climate issues. Fertigation systems that are properly installed economically distribute fertilizers and nutrients by watering and fertilizing the crops all at once.

The precise application achieved through fertigation prevents waste, making it both a cost-effective and sustainable process. While installing fertigation systems may be a stretch for small growers, its advantages outweigh its initial drawbacks, including expensiveness.

Fertigation: A Channel for Precision Agriculture

Since its introduction to agricultural sectors, fertigation has proven to be an effective practice of precision agriculture. Fertigation exceeds the challenges of traditional fertilizer applications by generating a higher level of command and control over the accurate rates and volumes at which nutrients and fertilizers are applied to the crops. Through precise scheduling, crops are given their required nutrients at the most favorable time.

The Role of Advanced Nutrients in Helping Farmers

The founder and CEO of Advanced Nutrients, Mike Straumietis, has invested millions of dollars in feeding and providing life-giving essentials to hundreds of thousands of people throughout the world. And under his guidance, Advanced Nutrients’ expert team of diverse Ph.D.-level scientists and researchers generated the first and only growing system that uses every phase of the vegetative and bloom cycles to produce crops to their true genetic potential.

They have developed a wide array of next-generation products that nurtures every stage of the crop’s cycle, from seed to senescence.

Jane